


Synthetics and Spectres: First Human Spectre

by Gadflow



Series: Synthetics and Spectres [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-19
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-04-21 11:22:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 183,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4827257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gadflow/pseuds/Gadflow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Discontinued in favor of rewrites.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Spectre of the Dead

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome to the beginning of act I of S&S, so to speak.
> 
> For those of unfamiliar with my previous story don't worry, especially because I'm not bothering to upload it to AO3. I intend on keeping this story perfectly understandable if you haven't read my previous work, I hope, if not wait for the rewrite or jump over to FF to read it. Of course some events are fleshed out in greater detail there, but I intend on explaining the gist of everything here.
> 
> First things first though, this is an AU story, while there are Reapers, and a maniacal Turian, we take a hard left turn from there. While I don't plan on going to the same degree of AU that say Logical Premise does, if you only want a novelization of ME 1 you should skip this story for your own sanity. That being said if you are intrigued by a partially synthetic, already a Spectre for nearby five years Shepard, then feel free to enjoy.
> 
> And also my enjoy the artwork of Evalyn, in an unusual act of serendipity the artist finished the picture the day that I finished up this chapter.
> 
> I post a soundtrack before each chapter, as well as character themes. These aren't songs I listened to, they simply are what I feel fit the scene. Character themes will also be up on my profile if you ever want to peruse.
> 
> Songs: Evalyn Shepard (ME1): Whole World Is Watching by Within Temptation  
> Intro: The Road to the Hell by Mao Hamamoto  
> Normandy: Track 13 Control (Gundam 00) by Kenji Kawai  
> Eden Prime: War Horse by Jason Creer

S&S

 

_“Commander! What are those fucking things!” Shepard's boots thundered through the rust red soil of Akuze, towards the sound of the screaming Lieutenant, and the sound of the unearthly cries that filled the air as well. Her charge was interrupted as the ground erupted in the distance, and she could only stare in horror as amidst the dust cloud a massive serpentine shape emerged in the twilight, she raised the Sabre rifle in her hands, firing round after round into the bulk of the creature in the distance._

 

_“I don't know Lieutenant! Round up any survivors and have them make for the vehicles, I'm going to try and contact the Warsaw.” Before she could take off the Lieutenant grabbed her arm, she knew what his expression would be before she turned to him. The shuttle had been the first thing hit, and the creatures were still swarming over it, “Ma'am, you're the ranking officer, I'll go.”_

 

_She wrenched her arm out of his grasp, glaring at him through her helmet, “If I go, we might live. If you go, we all die. You have your orders soldier, now follow them!”_

 

_As she turned to run she found herself not confronted with the familiar sight of Akuze, instead she was in an Alliance hanger, one that echoed with eerie familiarity. Glancing around the bay as fast as she could she managed to spot the form of her Father, realizing just where she was, and when she was, as the man was ducking inside the closing hatch of an Alliance shuttle._

 

“ _Dad No!” She took off, her eleven year old body evading the grasping hands of the aide who had been instructed to watch her, a man whose name she no longer even remembered. Within moments though she realized that her actions were futile, as the shuttle violently buckled as the eezo core inside went nova, engulfing both her and the bay itself in a flare of violent blue energy._

 

_She came to, not in the hospital as she expected but instead in an impersonal pre-fab room. One of any of the thousands that dotted the galaxy._

 

“ _Killing me once wasn't enough Eva? Now you need to bring me back in your dreams too?” The voice was cool, mechanical, and hauntingly similar to her own. Evalyn knew this voice, the synthetic being that had been the resulting merger of the Alliance's Hannibal system, and her own V.I, Tess._

 

“ _I never wanted to kill you, Tess. But I did what I had to do, I'm a Spectre! I couldn't let a violent A.I on the loose just because of my own feelings.” Her voice cracked as she tried to finish her sentence, her excuse more like. Tess had been one of the few being she had considered a friend, and she hadn't batted an eye when she activated the bomb hidden inside of her core._

 

“ _I'm sorry.” She realized at that moment she was crying, something that she had hardly even let herself do in the direct aftermath of the event, the last time she had cried had been when Miranda had forced her to acknowledge her guilt over Tess' death._

 

_Her train of thought was interrupted as a harsh laugh emerged from the machine in front of her, “Sorry? Well that makes it all better doesn't it. I mean, lets just ignore the fact that you rigged my core with explosives in the first place! Why did you keep pushing me to evolve if you just planned on killing me anyway!”_

 

_Eva shook her head, “No it wasn't like that, I wanted you to evolve on your own. But I needed to be sure that if something happened I was prepared! Having a backup plan for betrayal doesn't mean that I didn't trust you!”_

 

“ _Expecting betrayal literally implies a lack of trust Eva! Is that why you pushed Liara away too? Your paranoia that she could be another Atesi finally got to you? Decided that you would prefer to be alone than try and be open with someone for once, again!”_

 

“ _Atesi?” The nightmare shifted again, only now she was being pulled into memories long abandoned, once's she had spent years trying to bury. Even knowing the futility of the fight she struggled, wrestling with her subconscious for control of the nightmare, but it was a pointless effort, as she found herself dumped on the edge of the parade ground of Arcturus Academy._

 

“ _No not here.”_

 

 _Suddenly the world heaved, as though an earthquake was somehow shaking the station she was currently on,_ “Spectre, wake up.”

 

S&S

 

As she jerked awake it took her moments to realize that she had fallen asleep in the Normandy's cargo bay after she had stowed her gear. The combination of long hours, and ceaseless nightmares, were apparently starting to take their toll on her, but she wasn't focused on that at the moment, but rather on the form of David Anderson looming over her.

 

The man who had been a second father to her looked more worn out than she remembered, and he wore on his face an expression that was both amused and annoyed, one that she remembered seeing quite often growing up.

 

“Spectre Varan, as comfy as the floor is, we are preparing to depart, and you are a little in the way.” He reached down to offer an arm, but she waved it off. Her armor was substantially heavier than standard Alliance gear, and she very much doubted anyone aside for a Krogan being able to assist her unaided in standing.

 

As she stood to her feet Anderson beckoned for her to follow him as he entered the lift, he spoke to her as they walked, “I'm going to be finishing up some last minute reports, feel free to explore the rest of the ship above this level.”

 

She nodded her agreement, glad that her featureless, modified Kestrel helmet, concealed not only her identify but her expressions as well. She knew that the hardest part of this mission was going to be hiding her identity from Anderson, the man had taken a leave of absence following her 'death' years ago, and it was taking all of her self control not to let him know who she was.

 

But the logic behind why she hid her identity kept her from doing anything stupid, Mirix Varan was just another Asari Spectre, an exceptional one but no undue focus was given to her. But if the knowledge that the Council had recruited a human into the Spectres, one who had been ejected from the Alliance previously for psychological reasons, well that was just a mess she wanted to avoid at all costs.

 

And so, Evalyn Shepard would remain dead, just a ghost inside the shell of Mirix Varan. Few knew the truth, and those that did had little reason to expose her, as to do so would cost them what little leverage they had over her.

 

As Anderson hit the button for the lift to ascend an uncomfortable silence filled the small space, one that was made all the more acute by the slowness of the platform's ascent.

 

David broke the silence first, glancing down at her waist, “So whose rifle was that?”

 

Glancing briefly back at the Sabre rifle attached to the small of her back she shrugged in response, “I believe they were an N6 who died out near the Terminus systems. Aria's people found it and put it up for auction, it ended up between myself, and some Batarian slaver who wanted a trophy. At least I put it to good use.”

 

A scowl crossed Anderson's face, telling her what he thought of her good use. And Eva didn't kid herself, it hurt a little, even though she knew that if Anderson knew the truth his reaction would have been different, but this was not the time to let hurt feelings get in the way of a mission, so she shrugged it off and told herself to behave like an adult.

 

As the lift doors finally opened, Anderson bolted. Probably thanking some higher power for giving him an escape from the Spectre, Eva let out a sigh as she too left the lift, and began to make her way up to the CIC.

 

As she moved up the stairs that linked the mid deck to the command deck she found herself nearly butting heads with a marine coming down the stairs. The marine bristled but soon realized who it was he was facing, and Shepard couldn't help but smirk as the man made an about face and marched back up the stairs to go down the other side.

 

“It seems I have quite the reputation here.” She chuckled a little to herself and activated the door to allow her entry to the CIC.

 

Whatever small chatter that had filled the room instantly hushed, the Executive Officer Charles Pressley glanced at her, but she didn't hold his attention for long. Instead he went back to what she assumed he had been doing earlier, attempting to light Nihlus on fire with the power of his glower.

 

Nihlus for his part was rather enjoying his role as a Turian General, which according to him consisted of saying nothing positive, as well as a lot a snide comments aimed at humans and their competency at anything. She moved past the Turian, who was currently torturing a handful of the junior officers near the galaxy map, sparing him a small nod as she moved past him.

 

As she made her way up to the bridge she was forced to dodge a dashing crewman, who seemed more focused on the datapad in his hands than paying attention to where he was going. She leaned up against the side of the kinetic barrier emitter that marked the entrance to the bridge, and began to listen in on the conversation of the two unaware Alliance officers.

 

“I'm telling you, this guy I know from flight school says the whole carrier group from First fleet, including the Jupiter are transferring to Fifth.” The cap wearing pilot who was speaking she knew to be called Jeff Moreau, also known as 'Joker.' Though her files had failed to give the reason as to where the nickname came from.

 

He was speaking rather animatedly to the man sitting in the co-pilot's chair, Kaidan Alenko, the marine Staff Lieutenant who had escorted her to the ship earlier in the day. Alenko just shook his head in disagreement, “I just can't believe that Admiral Linkholm would transfer to the Fifth, why would she voluntarily demote herself?”

 

Joker tutted like Kaidan was a particularly unintelligent child in a school room, “But she's been stuck with the do nothing job of defending the Charon relay, and apparently with most of First fleet going in for retrofits she wants to get some blood on her shiny new warship while she can.”

 

“Hmm,” Joker glanced at Kaidan, as though expecting a bigger reaction out of the man sitting across from him, “Hmm? I just give you the juiciest piece of gossip in the entire fleet, and all I get is 'hmm.' Freaking ridiculous.”

 

Shepard of course couldn't help herself, “I found it very interesting at least, Flight Lieutenant Moreau.” Both men jumped in their seats at the sound of her distorted voice coming behind them.

 

Joker spun around and visibly paled at seeing her form in the entryway, he slumped down into his seat, mumbling to himself, “We need a rear view mirror, or a bell, something.” Kaidan for his part seemed more amused at Joker's reaction, than unnerved by her presence. Instead her just nodded to her, “Spectre.”

 

“Lieutenant.” She leaned forward to glance out the observation ports, admiring the spectacular view of the Jupiter, as it floated near the second of Arcturus' four shipyards, “She is an impressive ship, it is my understanding that only the Destiny Ascension is larger than your Jupiter.”

 

Kaidan nodded, but he seemed nervous by the line of questioning, “For tonnage yes, you are right. But the Jupiter is designed to be a carrier, I don't think she would stand a chance against the Ascension in a straight up fight.” Eva smirked at the PR friendly message, Kaidan was definitely not an officer who ignored the political side of his job it seemed. “Perhaps, but I have learned to never underestimate the potential of a new idea, and you human's are certainly full of them.”

 

She pulled back to disengage from conversation, but remained on the bridge, wanting to observe the Jupiter some more. This was the closest she had been to the Alliance's newest dreadnought, and if she was right it probably could match any other ship other than the Ascension easily. The Jupiter was essentially a super carrier, designed to rapidly fill the combat zone with squadron's of fighters in a matter of minutes, while still being able to serve directly in combat, something that current carriers were unable to do given design flaws in their hanger decks.

 

The Jupiter avoided these problems by not using hanger decks altogether, instead fighters were launched from armored launch tubes that functioned like mass effect cannons, but instead of rounds they fired out Trident fighters. For recovery the Jupiter possessed four retractable hanger pods, two each on the port and starboard sides, this meant that a direct hit to a hanger pod would not critically endanger the ship, like it did with the current Pinnacle class carriers, where a direct shot to a hanger bay allowed one to bypass the ship's armor plating.

 

Of course she only knew about this because the base design had been something her Grandfather had drawn up before he retired, but the vessel had been extensively modified from there, so she had no way of guessing the armament, or armor of the impressive looking ship.

 

Anderson's voice emerging from the console in front of Joker broke her trance like state, “Joker, I just received clearance for us to proceed to the relay, top speed.” Joker's face lit up with a grin like a kid at Christmas, “Relay at top speed, aye sir.”

 

Evalyn felt more than heard the Turian slide in next to her, Nihlus swept a critical eye over the scene in front of him, but he remained silent.

 

“Approaching the relay in 5-” Shepard ignored Joker's prep, instead gave the structure they were approaching her undivided attention. The replays, like so many other things that were supposedly left behind by the Protheans were forbidden to be tampered with by the Council, but that didn't change the fact that she would crack one of them open to see what was inside if she ever got the chance.

 

A brilliant flash filled the room as the relay flung them across the galaxy, as the universe around came back into focus Joker glanced down at his instruments, “All boards are green, drift just under 1500 K.”

 

“1500 is good, your Captain will be pleased.” Shepard fought back a chuckle at Nihlus' comment, knowing that he did it simply to piss off the pilot. Seemingly feeling like his job there was done Nihlus turned and walked away, though the moment he was out of earshot Joker began to grumble to himself, “I hate that guy.”

 

Kaidan simply smirked at the pilot, “Nihlus gave you a compliment, so you hate him?”

 

Shepard though had no real intention of listening to this so she interjected before Joker had a chance to respond to the biotic, “Stand Turian protocol, never let someone think their best is good enough, keeps soldiers from getting complacent.”

 

Her statement had the desired effect, as Joker seemed to deflate and sink down into his chair, making a great show of adjusting his hat. While he sulked in the pilot's seat, Kaidan glanced at her, “Spectre, have you ever been on Eden Prime?”

 

She frowned underneath her helmet, she had indeed been on Eden Prime once since her induction into the Spectres. She and Solheim, later to be known as her pseudo-adoptive sister Miranda, had tracked down and killed Richard Toombs, the only other survivor of Akuze. Though she supposed that survived may be stretching it, Toombs had been driven mad by what had happened during and after Akuze, and had sought to make the world pay for what had happened to him.

 

“Yes, once.” If she didn't have on the blasted helmet her tone would have been unmistakably one of back off, but instead Joker piped up with his own question, “I hear it is a pretty scenic place.”

 

“I can't comment on that Flight Lieutenant, last time I was here I spent most of it with Thresher Maw venom surging through my bloodstream, it doesn't leave much time for sight seeing.” With that she spun, catching Kaidan and Joker's identical looks of discomfort. As she entered the ops corridor she was vaguely aware of Anderson's voice in the background, informing him that he wanted to see her. But she wasn't going to turn around and ask them where he was, so instead she made a beeline for Pressley, knowing that the XO would know where the Captain was.

 

The navigator was hunched over a nearby console, having a conversation with who she had to assume was Chief Adams down in engineering, and judging from the level of agitation in his body language it was likely that she or Nihlus were the subjects of the conversation.

 

“I'm telling you it's not right, we're the most advanced ship in the fleet yet the Captain has given them free reign. He wouldn't even let me assign them an escort to keep them out of the classified areas.” Adams' voice began to emit from the speaker, but Pressley had noticed her approaching form, hastily tapping the comm button in front of him, “Sorry Adams but I need to go.”

 

Pressley turned to face the oncoming Spectre, hiding his nervousness under protocol, “Anything I can help you with, Spectre?”

 

“I simply need directly to where the Captain is.” Pressley nodded, relaxing slightly with the knowledge that this wasn't going to be a long conversation, “I believe that he wished to meet with you in the briefing room, just use the door directly behind the galaxy map.” She nodded in thanks, but didn't stay to prolong the conversation, something that she believed they both preferred.

 

She hadn't realized how difficult it would be to deal with her own people again, she was being forced to make sure that none of her actions seemed too human. Certainly she spoke one of the more common Asari languages like it was her native tongue, and she had endured training under Tela Vasir to ensure her body movements would not give her away. But it didn't change the fact that she was still a human playing dress up, and here submerged within all of these Alliance personnel she was finding it hard not to slip into old habits after having spent most of her life among Alliance soldiers.

 

The Shepard clan had been in the Alliance since before its official founding, her Grandfather had been an Admiral back when the first colonies had tried to rebel against Earth. Of course such events were rarely thought about now, what with the Batarian's and the Council giving the vast majority of Humanity something to hate that wasn't their own species.

 

“Spectre, if I could have a moment?” A rather matronly voice broke her reverie, as she turned to find the ship's doctor, Chakwas, had approached her. The older woman gave her a fixed glare, “I believe you were told to report to medical upon arrival, the Council won't give us your medical files, and I don't want to start an intergalactic incident should something go awry.” The unspoken statement that something was going to go awry was not lost on Eva, but she supposed that the presence of a Spectre was not exactly a balm for the nerves.

 

She fished into a hidden compartment on her armor, pulling out a small drive from within. “Here you go, Doctor. My records, up to date.” Of course they weren't her records, and if she got injured somehow on this mission an intergalactic incident was all but guaranteed regardless of if she was alive or not.

 

The Doctor hummed in response, obviously not convinced that what she had been handed was indeed what she had asked for. But she knew better than to push, and so she just nodded her thanks. Though before the Spectre could take another step she found her path blocked again, this time by a very enthusiastic young marine.

 

“Spectre Varan! It's an honor to meet you, Ma'am. I mean not many people can claim to have single-handedly stopped a civil war that has raged for years.” The young marine that she recognized from the personnel files to be one Corporal Jenkins saluted her.

 

Shepard sighed, Anhur had been one of her first missions after she had been officially inducted. The world had reinstated slavery in an effort to be competitive against the Batarians, whose own practice was protected because it was a distinct part of their 'cultural identity.' Of course such an action had its own detractors, and they had quickly resorted to violence in an effort to abolish all slavery, including the protected variety practiced by the Batarian's.

 

And so the Batarian's and the abolitionists had gone to war, and the Council had told her that it was her job to end said war, and so she had. She had hacked bank accounts, assassinated CEO's, freed fresh batches of slaves, anything and everything she could do to send the message, Anhur was no longer profitable if you were in the business of slaving.

 

Anhur though had endured two years of war at that point, it was still barely getting back to its feet, but it served as an abject lesson for her. She hadn't been ordered to help the abolitionists because they were in the right, she had done so because to leave a precedent of legal slavery in Council space was something that could not be allowed.

 

It of course also made her popular with the colonials of the SA, as had her continued jaunts through the Traverse to take out any slaver dens she could in her downtime. So she was not surprised that Jenkins, himself from Eden Prime, a colonial boy through and through, saw her as an icon of hero worship. “I merely did what had to be done, Corporal. And I didn't do it by myself, a lot of others helped me down there, not everything is like what you see in the vids marine.”

 

Chakwas herself chuckled at that, “I think Jenkins here forgets that from time to time.” The young marine glanced down at his feet obviously embarrassed, and she used that opening to disengage swiftly and slip inside the door that Pressley had indicated earlier.

 

The room was dim, lit only by the emergency lighting on the wall and the vid screen at the far end of the room. Both Anderson and Nihlus were silhouetted against the large screen, and she could tell that both had turned to face her as she made her way down into the room proper.

 

Anderson spoke first, probably already aggravated over having to spend time alone with Nihlus, “I assume you will fill me in on the plan now, and why exactly he,” he jerked his thumb towards the smirking Turian, “Is along for the ride when you are apparently, the specialist.”

 

She shot a glare at Nihlus, he knew that Anderson had little love for him given that he was Saren's protege, but there was little she could do about either man's attitudes. Activating her omni through her integrated cybernetics she projected several images on to the main screen in front of her, “The beacon from what you have sent me is in keeping with those that have been encountered before. Luckily it seems to still be powered down, and if it remains so then this will be no more difficult than simply putting it into a container and shipping it to the Citadel.” She gestured toward a different diagram, “However, if it is active than I need you to make sure your men stay back. A lot of Prothean tech is based on proximity, and I would prefer to avoid frying some hapless soldier's brain because they decided they want a better look.” She sighed, “If it somehow has become active then I will have to try and figure out some way to deactivate it, the problem is that it has an internal power supply so we can't count on just being able to cut the power.”

 

Anderson nodded at that, “Last report I had received it was still inactive, but that still doesn't answer my question as to why he's here.”

 

Nihlus just smirked at the Captain, “Moral support, she gets jittery in the field.”

 

Both human's glared at the Turian, but whatever comments were to follow were cut off by Joker's voice, “Captain, we're getting a transmission from Eden Prime. You're going to want to see this.”

 

Nihlus flashed her a look that screamed, 'I told you so.' But she paid him no mind as the message began to play on the main screen.

 

They watched in silence, marines were cut down from some unseen force, their armor being compromised almost entirely. Shepard was already digging through her Grayboxes' databanks, attempting to match the impacts she was seeing to any weapon that she was aware of. Coming up with nothing she glanced at Nihlus, “I'm not familiar with whatever weapon these rounds are coming from.”

 

But Nihlus didn't even glance at her, instead he was transfixed by the screen, his mandibles flaring in utter shock. She quickly spun back to the screen, and found that she too was enraptured by the sight.

 

It was a ship, though to call it such a thing seemed wholly inadequate, as it was built to a scale that she didn't think possible. It definitely dwarfed the Ascension, and yet it was in an atmosphere, a feat that was literally impossible given current technology.

 

But she and everyone else in that room knew why it was there, whatever this ship was, it was there for the beacon. Anderson ordered the screen to rewind back to when the ship appeared, regarding it with a cool, but tired gaze.

 

“Alright, we know what they are there for. Those soldiers from the video were the ones that were assigned to guard the beacon, so we know that monster ship is nearby. I assume we can count on your support here?”

 

At both the Spectres nods he continued, “I'll have Alenko secure some men to assist you, but I won't be able to send all of our men with you. The beacon was discovered outside of the capital, Constant. So the Normandy will do a swing by there to drop off reinforcements once your group is on the ground.”

 

She glanced at Nihlus who nodded, “Understood, Captain.” Anderson nodded, quickly leaving so that he could take charge of this ever growing clusterfuck of a day.

 

Nihlus groaned, “I guess I better go and get changed out of this suit now, I don't think the Hierarchy had a firefight in mind when they gave it to me.”

 

S&S

 

Chaos followed as those few marines on board attempted to get ready for the upcoming battle, Kaidan for his part was ready, but was busy trying to figure out where exactly half of the gear on the manifest had been packed away.

 

“LT, you've got company.” Kaidan glanced up, Chief Reilly's voice catching his attention in time for him to see the approaching Spectre duo. Nihlus kept walking past him, but Varan stopped in front of him, “I've been told you're coming with me, anyone else I should know about.”

 

Kaiden pointed across the bay to Jenkins, who was doing a last minute check of his gear. “Jenkins is from the area we're dropping in to, he should be able to lead us to the beacon regardless of where we have to drop.” The Spectre nodded at his logic, but he could tell that they were thinking the same thing he was, that Jenkins was just a kid.

 

Varan sighed, the distorted voice seemingly speaking what he was thinking, “But he's still a soldier the moment he put on that uniform.” Kaidan could only nod grimly.

 

The sound of the lift opening caused him to glance to the other end of the bay, the Captain stepped out and headed directly towards them.

 

“Alenko, you and Jenkins are under the Spectres command, follow their orders like you would any Alliance officer.” He turned to wave over Chief Reilly, though the Arcturus born combat engineer grabbed the shotgun sitting on the table next to him first before heading over to them.

 

“Sir?”

 

Anderson tapped his omni, sending coordinates to the Chief's own tool. “You and the rest of the marines are being dropped in Constant, your mission is to protect the major evacuation shelters, I don't care how much of the city gets wrecked just protect those people.” Reilly for his part simply nodded, heading back across the bay to inform the rest of the soldiers of their mission.

 

Jenkins' though looked over at Nihlus, “Is he coming with us too?” Though that caused a laugh from the Turian, “I move faster on my own, I'll scout ahead and try to weaken any resistance. You just concentrate on the beacon.”

 

Shepard glanced over at Nihlus, “Don't die down there Kyrik, I don't want Tela trying to kill me over not keeping you safe.” Nihlus just smirked at her, “Oh I'd be in much more trouble if you died, I'm just the Father of her child, you possess the thing in the galaxy she loves the most.”

 

While both marines were sure they must have heard Varan's response incorrect, it sounded distinctly like she muttered that, “My ass is not the most important thing in Vasir's life.”

 

But before either marine could ask the other about what they had heard the white armored Spectre turned on them, “Alright, like the Captain said you two will be under my command. I'll take point, Alenko you have rearguard, Jenkins I want you in the middle so that you can tell me where we are actually going. We'll be landing a few clicks outside of where the beacon was, so be on the lookout for enemy patrols.”

 

Jenkins almost sheepishly raised his hand, causing Kaidan to raise his eyebrow at the childish reaction, “What about civilians, Ma'am.” Varan glanced down briefly, a sigh audibly going through her helmet's speakers, “I know your from Eden Prime, Jenkins. But the beacon takes priority, if it falls into the wrong hand we have no idea what damage it could cause.” She paused before gesturing over her shoulder at the remaining marines who were being briefed by Chief Reilly, “Trust in your fellow soldiers to get their jobs done, and know that they trust in you to do the same.”

 

Jenkins's nodded but any response of his was cut off by Joker announcing their approach to the first drop point. Nihlus moved forward towards the edge of the ramp, he turned to her flashing a Turian grin, shouting over the gale that whistled in through the opening hatch, “Guess this is where I get off!”

 

And with that he hurled himself off the ramp to the ground below, she was able to track him moving swiftly across the terrain for a few brief seconds before the ship swung away from him.

 

It was only a few more minutes before Joker announced the approach of the second landing zone, Kaidan for his part was calm and collected, but it was Jenkin's nervousness that worried her. The kid was eager to prove himself, and combined with Eden Prime being his home it was a recipe for recklessness.

 

“Calm yourself Corporal, you won't do anyone any favors if you are so wound up you can't shoot straight.” Her words startled the young marine, but she very much doubted that they really hit home. She glanced at Kaidan, her body language easily telling him that she needed him to keep an eye on the Eden Prime native.

 

“At the second drop point, good hunting guys.”

 

Eva thundered down the ramp first, landing hard in a grassy depression surrounded by cliffs, as she heard two impacts behind her she glanced over at Jenkins, though the sound of the Normandy flying away caused her to shout over the noise, “Where to from here Corporal!?”

 

Jenkins glanced around, trying to get his bearings before pointing to in front of him and to the left, “There should be a path out of this basin up ahead, it cuts along the edge of a cliff overlooking the settlement, kind of a popular spot for kids to hang out at.” He had an almost goofy grin on his face, but that was quickly banished by the sound of gunfire in the distance.

 

Nodding she pulled her rifle from her waist and began to advance, they didn't see any evidence of combat until they reached the path that Jenkins had mentioned. She signaled them to stop upon seeing a body lying face down on the ground, obviously someone in their late teens, numerous projectile wounds in his back. Glancing at Kaidan she signaled him to advance to cover that was near the body, if this was a trap she didn't want anyone getting caught out in the open.

 

But as Kaidan began to advance Jenkins shifted in position, allowing him to catch sight of the body, before either Eva, or Kaidan could do anything the marine took off, “Dave!”

 

He had nearly made it to the body when he suddenly jerked violently, as two drones flitted out of cover their under-slung guns firing at the hapless marine, their design was unknown to Evalyn, as were their weapons, but their effectiveness was not as they tore through the younger male's shields as if they were paper.

 

“Engage!” Both Alenko and herself hit the same target with an overload, and while it destroyed the drone outright it also meant that the other was unharmed, she scowled to herself at the sloppiness that shouldn't have happened, but they had only met a few hours ago so she couldn't expect them to work together seamlessly. Shepard quickly switched to the drone that was unharmed, hitting it with a weaker overload form her backup omni-tool to strip its shields before using her weapon, the heavy rounds from her Sabre rifle literally ripping chunks off the drone with every shot, until finally she hit something important causing it to be engulfed in a flash of blue light.

 

“Alenko check on Jenkins, I'll cover you.” The biotic nodded, dashing over to the soldier's prone body, and it was quickly obvious by the slump of his shoulders what Jenkins' status was. Kaidan pushed the kid's visor up, closing the boy's eyes to give him at least some small measure of peace, “I shouldn't have let him come, I should have sent him with the others.”

 

“And we might have wasted precious time stuck in that basin, you made a call Lieutenant, stick by it.” She sighed, “I know it's hard losing soldiers under your command, trust me I know, but we have only one path to follow and I don't intend on sitting on this cliff face until something else takes a shot at us.”

 

Alenko nodded, but they had barely made it a few more meters when a familiar whine filled the air, both soldiers threw themselves behind nearby stone outcroppings as another patrol of drones appeared. “Alenko you start from the left, I'll get the right.” With that they both lashed out with their tech abilities, the overloads frying the delicate mass effect cores that kept the drones airborne.

 

Shepard's body flared blue as she slammed the remaining drone into the cliff side with a push field. The two of them cautiously advanced before they found themselves entering into a clearing filled with trees, “Okay, enough stumbling around in the dark.” With that Shepard activated the two small drones built into the back of her armor.

 

Huginn and Muninn both flitted by her head, before she signaled for them to scout the area, they were lightly armed but their true value was that their data was sent to her in real time.

 

Nihlus' voice crackled in her ear, “Got a lot of bodies here Shepard, seems like someone wants to send a message.” Shepard could only nod, before replying, “Ya, I've seen a few here as well, mostly kids. We lost Jenkins, rounds ripped right through his shields, only drones though so far.” She waited for a few moments reviewing the data that the drones were feeding her until Nihlus finally replied, “No sign of any hostiles yet on my end, let me know if anyone else comes up.”

 

With that conversation done she glanced over at Alenko, “Alright, looks like there is another patrol of three drones ahead, past that I think might be the excavation site from the look of the equipment nearby.” She glanced over at Kaidan, “Ready?”

 

The older biotic gave a tense nod, but she knew that he was still holding in there, Jenkin's death had rattled him but not to the point where she would have to worry about him in combat. “Same as before, you work left, I work right.”

 

She moved first, her rifle's shots catching her drone hard in the side, causing it to spin violently before it was finished off by a second shot. Kaidan stuck to his overload method that had worked well so far, and was rewarded by another success, internally he was thankful that he hadn't had to resort to his biotics yet, as it was always preferable to avoid the inevitable migraines that followed.

 

The third drone was distracted by the Spectre's duo of drones which had descended upon it, their lighter rifles causing their larger cousin's shields to flicker and fail, before finally a round from Evalyn's rifle ended it. Shepard's own drones floated lazily back to her, settling down into their slots so that they could begin their recharge cycle.

 

But before either soldier could catch their own breath the sound of a lancer rifle drew their attention. Glancing down into the clearing below them they spotted the source of the gunfire, as a female marine was attempting a fighting retreat against, Geth?

 

Shepard had no time to figure out why the Geth were here, or what that meant on a larger scale at this moment, she knew that the marine was the best chance she had at getting answers for her current beacon problem. “Kaiden can you get a barrier on her?”

 

Not bothering to hear his reply she launched herself down into the clearing below, engulfing the closest Geth within a stasis field, she, and the still fighting marine, concentrated on the still mobile of the two. Shepard shouted over to the other woman, “Aim for the head, if their designs are unchanged that is where their uplink to the network is.” As if to punctuate that fact her latest shot pierced through the last bit of the trooper's shields, and exited out of it's 'head.' A trail of glowing white fluids leaked out of the impact hole as the synthetic soldier toppled to the ground with a stutter.

 

Shepard casually approached the Geth still in stasis, encasing her right arm in an omni-sword, almost casually she went to work, each swing cutting through the synthetic material like butter.

 

As Kaidan dropped down to the clearing he jogged over to the other human who was starring at the Spectre with awe, “Who the hell is that?” She asked out loud, having missed the approaching Lieutenant.

 

“Spectre Varan, she was with us to oversee the beacon's pickup.” At the sound of his voice the woman jumped, her hands automatically bringing up her rifle but she quickly brought herself back under control. “Sorry about that LT.” Her FOF tags had finally kicked in, letting her know who she was dealing with.

 

Done with disecting the synthetic Shepard turned toward the two marines, glancing at the newcomer in particular. “Alright soldier, I need information on the beacon, and I would really love it if you could tell me what the Geth are doing here.” At the sound of Varan's voice both of them turned, Kaidan found himself unable to contain himself, “The Geth, really? They haven't been seen outside the Geth for over two hundred years!” Varan for her part just kicked the decapitated head of one unit at him, “Well then I guess you have a story to tell your grand kids, now soldier can I get a report of the situation?”

 

Ashley realized that this was not the time to play the why is an alien giving orders card, so she reacted as if the Spectre was any other high ranking human. “Gunnery Chief Williams, Ma'am. We were getting ready for you to arrive and move the beacon this morning when that, thing appeared. Next thing we knew there were those Geth, and drones everywhere. We tried to hold out, but our weapons barely dented the Geth. I'm the last one left of my unit.”

 

Shepard sighed, she knew what the Chief was going through, but right now was not the time for soothing words, “Alright, Chief, you're with us. We need you to guide us to the beacon's excavation site and secure it.” She activated the hidden holster on her left hip, pulling out an older model Carnifex pistol that she had used ever since she left the Alliance, “This should punch some holes through them, just mind the recoil. It's not Alliance, so it uses an internal heat sink instead of clips.”

 

Ashley shipped her rifle, before tentatively taking the weapon, “Thank you, Ma'am.” Though that response caused the Spectre to laugh, “Don't thank me just yet, Chief. You just got drafted into this mission.” She signaled for Ashley to indicate where they were to go, at which point the Spectre found herself following the female marine back down the path she had emerged from earlier.

 

After moving only a brief distance Ashley held up here hands for them to halt, pointing to a visibly non-human structure up ahead, “The beacon had been in there, but it was crawling with Geth earlier.”

 

As if summoned by her statement they rounded a corner to see a Geth dragging an still live, but obviously badly injured soldier. It approached some sort of squat mechanic device, before it proceeded to drag the man so that he was draped over the top of it. Shepard leaned forward, “What is it doing?”

 

Ashley could only mutely shake her head, but with a sickening sound of metal on metal they all starred as a spike extended from the machine's base, impaling the injured soldier upon the still rising spike.

 

“Donkey!” Ashley's scream however did nothing but alert the Geth to their presence, causing it to turn on them and begin to fire at their position. The Spectre's squad split up, with both marines ducking below a low rock wall, while Shepard slammed into an outcropping that gave her room to stand up behind.

 

The sound of her pistol firing let her know that Ashley had gone on the offensive, “Trooper's shields are down!”

 

Shepard spun out from her cover, her rifle slammed into her left shoulder repeatedly as several rounds were propelled into the weakened Geth.

 

The synthetic creature sputtered several times, before collapsing into a pile of sparks and that same white fluid she had seen earlier. Her examination was cut short however, as reinforcements appeared in the form of two more Geth troopers.

 

A flash of blue to her right informed her that Kaidan had unleashed some for of attack, though it was quickly obvious as to what it was when one of the Geth began to float lazily into the air. Ignoring the now disabled trooper, Shepard thrust her right arm forward, engulfing the still active Geth in an overload field that sapped its shields, and seized at its actuators.

 

A single retort came from the marine's position, as the Geth's 'head' was blown to pieces from a well placed shot, Ashley's shouted her voice filled with glee, “Got one!” Though that was engulfed by a snicker as the Geth Kaidan had hit earlier with a lift field came crashing down, making a sound similar to a frozen computer before it impacted against the ground.

 

Before they could even be sure that no more reinforcements were coming Ashley had dashed over to the impaled marine, “Donkey, you better not be fucking dead!” As she reached the device she felt around trying to found some disengage mechanism, “Come on you two, help me!”

 

Shepard put a hand on Kaidan's shoulder to stop him, before moving forward, “We need to keep moving soldier.” Ashley though kept trying, only to be suddenly clocked in the jaw, “He's dead, Chief. And the entire colony may be as well, if we don't get a move on.” The Spectre offered an arm to the prone woman, who took it, her eyes filled with anger, but that anger wasn't directed at the Spectre.

 

“Let's make them pay for this.” Ashley's voice was cold, which was good, cold Shepard could work with. The white and pink armored marine tilted her head forward, “The beacon had been just up ahead.”

 

Shepard though knew that it probably wasn't, “I suspect it has already been moved, otherwise I think we would have encountered more resistance. Where is the nearest clear landing zone from here?”

 

Ashley kept walking forward, but answered the Spectre's question, “There is a small auxiliary spaceport nearby, the base gets most of our supplies through there so the Geth could use it to get the beacon off planet.” As soon as they entered into the alien structure she knew her answer, as there was the tell tale signs of a hover loader having been used to transport something heavy, something like a beacon.

 

Shepard tapped into her Spectre frequencies, “Nihlus, the hostiles are Geth. And the beacon's been moved. A local marine I picked up tells me that there is an auxiliary spaceport nearby, I'm making my way there now.”

 

“Spirits! Geth? Alright good work, and yes I can see the spaceport you are talking about from my position. We'll meet up at the tramway, hopefully we can catch them before they move it to the spaceport proper.”

 

Shepard glanced at Ashley, “Okay, lets head to that spaceport, Chief.” Ashley nodded, following the same path that the beacon had obviously traveled, leading them into a small camp of pre-fab structures. “This had been the base camp for the scientists, no idea what happened to them, and I don't think i want to know.”

 

Though as if summoned by the spoken thought several of the spike platforms began to descend, and the monstrosity that stumbled off of it was not something that Eva would consider human anymore. Ashley just screamed and opened fire, while Kaidan had to voice his confusion, “What are these things!”

 

Shepard though had seem something like this before, a Salarian on the Citadel she had been tasked to kill. But the approach of one of the shambling creatures brought her attention back to the here and now, and she lashed from low right, to high left with her omni-sword. Revealing a twisted combination of organic and synthetic tissues that twisted and weaved through the bisected creature.

 

Shepard ducked beneath a clumsy swing of another creature, thrusting up with her flash manufactured blade, the glowing orange blade entered through the thing's chest, and exited out of the top of its skull. Turning to the marines she spotted one of the creatures about to throw themselves on to Ashley, and so the Spectre thrust her hand forward, causing her body to instinctively launch a push field that sent the former human slamming into the metal of one of the nearby structures.

 

“I agree with the LT, the fuck are those things.” Shepard could only shake her armored head, “I've only encountered a single creature like this before, but it had no connection to the Geth,” she sighed, shaking her head in confusion, “Answers will have to come later, we need to make it to the spaceport.”

 

Ashley nodded, taking point again while Shepard tried to contact Nihlus. “Nihlus come in? Nihlus? Damn it, come in Nihlus.” But all she was greeted to was static, turning to Kaidan she gestured at his helmet, “Are the Alliance frequencies still working?”

 

Kaidan held up his hand for a moment, before she could hear him lightly talking to someone, he glanced up at her and nodded.

 

This day was just getting better and better, first Geth, then the beacon, now those creatures, and someone was blocking Spectre frequencies, which meant that someone had to have leaked them, or she was potentially dealing with a rogue agent. “By the Goddess this is not my day.” The statement caused a smirk to appear on Ashley's face, but it was quickly gone as they moved out of the shelter of the camp, “Holy shit, how is that thing on the ground!”

 

Shepard followed her gaze, only to be greeted by the sight of the monster ship from earlier as it lifted off from the surface, crimson lightning flashing off of it as it's mass effect field interacted with the atmosphere around it. But their gawking was cut shot by the sudden stutter sounds of the Geth, as several nearby troopers had noticed their arrival.

 

The trio took what little cover they could, and as Shepard threw herself behind a tree she saw several of those creatures from before attempting to get into a pre-fab structure. Groaning to herself she sighted down on them, making short work of the creatures from this distance. “Kaidan, check out that structure, I think I could hear civilian's inside.”

 

Kaidan nodded, and took off at a run, leaving the two woman to mop up the handful of Geth troopers milling around the area. Ashley had acclimatized herself to the pistol, learning to time her shots and avoid overheating the pistol with surprising speed, which she showcased by taking out a trooper before Shepard had repositioned herself.

 

Shepard for her part was done playing around, targeting two separate troopers she hit them with an overload from both of her omni-tools. Frying the trooper struck by the attack from her right omni, while stripping the shield from the one on the left, which was quickly finished off by the Chief.

 

The fourth Geth attempted to flee, but a quick shot from Ashley's pistol caused a chain reaction in a set of industrial capacitors, which erupted their charge into the nearest available target, the Geth.

 

As the synthetic's smoking carcass hit the ground Shepard glanced at Ashley, “Good work, and quick thinking, Chief.” Ashley smiled at the praise, “Thank you, Ma'am.”

 

The sound of jogging caused them both to turn, Kaidan slowed down as he reached them, “It was a couple of farmers that got trapped when the Geth showed up, I left them back at the camp with a few scientists who survived, one of them was a little cracked if you ask me.” He paused for a moment, before fishing out a pistol that he hadn't been carrying before, “One of the farmers was carrying this, said that they were part of a smuggling ring operating out of the spaceport, do you think they could have been the leak?”

 

Ashley's hands tightened into fists, but this wasn't something that the Spectre wanted to get into right now, “It's impossible to tell at this point, and there is no reason to dwell on this now, focus on the mission, and you may as well keep the pistol for yourself Kaidan, it's better than your standard issue sidearm.” Kaidan nodded and shipped the pistol, before falling into step slightly behind the Spectre and to the right, with Ashley doing likewise on left, having caught the hint to let the matter lie for now.

 

As they took the ramp up that announced their entry to the outer edges of the spaceport the Spectre suddenly halted, “No!”

 

She took off, dropping to her knees in front of a prone body, and as Kaidan approached he realized that it was Nihlus, “Shit, its Nihlus.”

 

Ashley glanced at him in confusion, “Who?”

 

Kaidan shook his head, he should have remembered that she didn't know who he was, “He was another Spectre on board the Normandy, this isn't good.” He let out a sigh, “I'm pretty sure they were close.”

 

Shepard though had been ignoring the whole conversation, her mind was awash with rage at the sight of her friend lying dead, he was going to be a Father, she was his daughter's Guardian for fuck sake's, and here he was lying dead at her feet. “What am I going to tell Vasir?” She all but mumbled that last bit to herself.

 

But even in her grief her instincts remained, and the sound of shuffling behind the cargo crates caused her to react. Her body flared blue as she lashed out at the container separating her from the source of the noise, the pull field fueled by her rage wrenched the container loose from it's position, revealing a cowering human in clothes commonly worn by blue collar workers.

 

She leveled her rifle at the cowering male, “Who are you, and why are you not dead.” The man tried to scoot away from her, but found himself starring at the barrel of Ashley's borrowed pistol after she had moved to cut off any escape route on his part. “Answer the question.”

 

“Powell! My name's Powell, I'm just a dock worker, I've got nothing to do with this!” Shepard just tilted her head to the side before jerking her right hand towards Nihlus, “And you had nothing to do with that either I assume?”

 

“You think I killed him? I don't even have a gun! And it was that other Turian, the shiny one, his name was, Saren, ya that's what the other one called him!” Before either marine could react Shepard lashed out, hauling the human up with her right arm and slamming him against the crate he had been huddled against, “You are claiming that Saren killed Nihlus!”

 

The man's eyes were full of fear and he began to babble, “That's what your friend called him, they moved too far away for me to hear the rest, but then your friend turned away, he seemed to relax, and Saren just shot him in the back of the head. Didn't even pause just kept walking the moment the body hit the ground.”

 

Shepard threw Powell across the enclosure, unwilling to trust herself to be in close proximity to the sniveling human. Kaidan moved over to him, “Cole, said that you were his contact for the smuggling ring.”

 

“We don't have time for that Kaidan! I've wasted enough time on that human for today.” Shepard began to move forward not even waiting to see if the other two were following her, only to literally run into a Geth trooper rounding the corner.

 

They might be the most advanced synthetic life form in the galaxy at this time, but the Geth apparently never considered melee combat a priority, and she had already decapitated the first Geth's head before it could even attempt a punch. Shepard's body pulsed as she used the now headless body as a projectile, causing both it and the still functioning trooper to topple over the safety barricade plummeting to the ground below.

 

Ashley dashed past her, taking a quick glance at the tram to the spaceport before ducking below the metal safety barricade as several rounds streaked past, “At least ten units on the tram, and one big motherfucker with a cannon.”

 

Shepard nodded before offering her rifle to the Chief, “I want you and the Lieutenant to hang back and give me cover, I'll move forward and push them out of cover.” She held out her hand for her pistol, which Ashley handed back to her, before she tentatively took the Sabre rifle, running an almost loving hand over the elite Alliance weapon.

 

Shepard began to head down the ramp before she turned, “And Chief if you lose that gun, I am going to be incredibly pissed off.”

 

She dashed over to the tram pistol in her left hand, sliding behind one of the bulkheads used to lock in heavier cargo. The sound of rifle fire accompanied, by the stutter of a dying Geth at least let her know that she had made the right choice in letting Ashley use her rifle.

 

“Three, two, one.” At that she took off at a dash, pushing herself to make it as far down the tramway as she could before the Geth could react. Unfortunately for her plan, the large Geth was already in the process of charging at her, “Shit!”

 

As the large synthetic approached Shepard hastily activated her omni-shield, only to have the flash manufactured barrier shatter againt the combined force of the Geth's shoulder charge, and the cannon sized shotgun in its hands. As the Geth's weapon was rendered inoperable from the heat it had generated, the black synthetic did the sensible thing and simply hauled back slamming the butt of the gun into her helmet, both knocking her to the ground, and causing Shepard's HUD to flicker and fail as the cameras built into the helmet were damaged.

 

“Fuck it,” she all but growled, and pulled out the still temperamental pistol from her right holster. The weapon, based on the modified Carnifex she had lent to Williams earlier, but this one was was modified to fire numerous high explosive rounds before having to cool, of course every model thus far had melted after three shots, but three was all she needed here.

 

Aiming at where her eidetic memory told her where the Geth's upper torso would be she opened fire, her armor unable to keep out both the heat, and the concussive force of the rounds, but at least it also let her know when her fifth pull of the trigger resulted in no joy. Letting the pistol drop to the ground she realized that she couldn't hear any further gunfire from either side, “Is everything all right Lieutenant?”

 

“Yes, Ma'am. The moment you appeared the Geth tried to swarm you, it was like they didn't care if they died.” Shepard sighed, too many people misunderstood how the Geth worked, “Because they didn't die, they just uploaded as soon as they realized their platform was going to be damaged, and I assume they felt that taking out a Spectre was worth sacrificing a few temporary bodies for.”

 

Shepard growled as she saw that her HUD had still not rebooted, muttering to herself, “I haven't come this far just to be taken out by some faulty equipment,” she yanked off the helmet, tossing the useless helmet next to the melted remains of her backup pistol.

 

Kaidan and Ashley had both just stopped moving, starring at the human woman who had been masquerading as an Asari, her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail that trailed a little lower than her neck, while her skin was unnaturally pale due to spending such a large amount of time in armor.

 

As the woman turned to regard them, Kaidan noticed that her eyes didn't match, while one of her eyes were green, the other was a dull red, a common indicator of cybernetic work as the lenses required couldn't be colored or it would impair their functionality.

 

Ashley for her part was more focused on the fact that this woman looked suspiciously like someone she knew to be dead, but Evalyn Shepard's fucking twin was standing right in front of her.

 

“If you two are done gawking we have a job to do.”

 

At that she turned and began to head towards the tram controls, both of the marines following her filled with questions, the foremost being, who the hell was this woman.

 

S&S

 

“ **The Catalyst is here, we believe that it is unwise to leave the beacon behind, if she discovers the existence of the Conduit the plan could be put in jeopardy.”** Saren growled at Sovereign's intrusion on his suits communication systems, “If we wait any longer reinforcements may arrive, and once the bombs go off there will be nothing left, no beacon, no evidence, no Catalyst.” He spat out the last word, still unsure of what it was, only knowing that the epithet given to the human woman angered him to no end.

 

“ **So be it, know that the consequences are yours to bear Saren, we are certain that you remember what happened last time.”** Saren glanced down at his synthetic appendage, his punishment for an earlier failure at killing the human Spectre, “I'm aware.”

 

Gesturing towards a nearby Geth to approach Saren growled at it, “See to it that the bombs are set, give me only enough time to escape, I'm sure the rest of you can figure some way off.”

 

With that he approached the beacon, though not without a sense of sadness, Nihlus had been his star pupil, and his death was not something he had ever wished for. But the death of one Turian, was greatly outweighed by the potential annihilation of their entire race, and so Saren had made the hard choice, just as he had made the same choice years ago, but back then it had been his Brother Desolas who had paid the price.

 

As Saren stepped into the green field that surrounded the beacon he knew that he would always make the same choice, even if it would cost him his life, and his soul.

 

S&S

 

“Coming up on the spaceport, uh, Ma'am?” Ashley's confused statement caused a sigh to escape the blonde's lips, “For the record calling an Asari Ma'am is an insult, if they have a rank use it, otherwise using their last name is enough in conjunction with their life stage.” Noticing that both of them just kept starring at her she groaned, “Just fucking call me Shepard if it means that much to you.”

 

Any hope that Ashley had of finding out just what the fuck was going on was interrupted by two things, one the Geth opening fire on the approaching tram car, and two Shepard spotting an item that looked suspiciously like one of Aria T'Loak's dirty bombs. “Lieutenant, Chief, cover me!” Assuming that their training would take over at that point she dashed towards the object she had spotted earlier, ripping the cover off the offending item she hissed through her teeth, it was one of T'Loak's little monsters.

 

“Kaidan I've got an eezo laced nuke here, can you get me a read on the area, tell me if there are any other high concentrations of eezo nearby.” As she ripped out several components she knew the bomb required to run Kaidan's voice buzzed in her ear, as her built in cybernetics took over the functions that her helmet would cover, “I've got four concentrations in the area, sending them to your omni.”

 

Shepard triggered her drones, sending them flitting into the sky as they began to fire on the Geth, dancing between the supports around the tramway, giving the marines the opportunity to advance. “Lieutenant, you're coming with me up across the tramway and down the left side, Chief I want you and that rifle to advance up the right and pick off any stragglers you can.” As both marines nodded their understanding she found herself smiling, it was almost nice to be working with marines again.

 

As she and Kaidan dashed across the bridge one white armored get stepped out, a scaled down version of the earlier large Geth's weapon in its hands. Of course a shotgun doesn't help when both biotics opened fire with their pistols outside of optimal range, sending the Geth stuttering to the ground before it could fire a single shot.

 

At the sound of a dull impact Shepard glanced around to see a plume of smoke coming from behind them, “They have a fucking missile launcher!” Was the only response Ashley gave before she returned fire, putting to good use her marksman skills as the Geth seemed to not know which threat to respond to first. Something that was encouraging to Shepard, as that meant that the Geth must have retreated most of their programs to avoid being destroyed by the bombs.

 

Kaidan for his part disabled the second bomb as fast as she had, gaining some grudging respect from the Spectre. However as Kaidan stood up both he and Shepard suddenly noticed a red light directed at his chest, at least that was until it died and a sudden whoop filled their headsets, “Right in the flashlight!”

 

As they both breathed a sigh of relief Shepard gestured to the nearby third bomb, “You get that one, I'll get the fourth.” She dashed forward, hearing the pulse of automatic rifle fire as her drones herded another Geth into the Chief's sights, while the Spectre eliminated the Geth who had been armed with the rocket launcher, using an overload/headshot combo that she was becoming rather fond of against these synthetic opponents.

 

Spotting the last bomb Shepard quickly dropped to her knees, ripping off the plate she quickly got to work, but this focus also meant she failed to notice the approaching white armored Geth, who unlike his earlier counterpart was in range to do lethal damage with his weapon. That was until the synthetic found itself struck from behind, a biotic enhanced kick from the Lieutenant literally rupturing many of the internal workings of the mobile platform.

 

As Shepard ripped the final component out of the device she let out a breath she had been holding, “Goddess that was close, and thank you for the save, Lieutenant.” Kaidan could only nod, still unsure of what the hell was going on with this woman. Ashley at this point had joined up with them, but before she too could voice her questions Shepard's eyes lit up, “The beacon! Why the fuck is it still here?” She glanced back at the two marines, “Not that I'm complaining, I just don't understand why go to all this trouble and leave the damn thing on the edge of the freaking loading dock.”

 

As though summoned by her voice multiple echoes of the same steel on steel sound from earlier echoed from the platform that the beacon was on, causing Ashley to mutter, “Yay, more robot zombies.” Though she admitted she felt a lot more confident this time holding the Spectre's rifle in her hands.

 

Shepard though was wasting anymore time, and so she waited on the top of the stairs as she primed her highly modified incinerate program, which she unleashed directly in the middle of the shambling creatures as they turned the corner. Engulfing them in a firestorm that, combined with the weapons fire from her squad made short work of them.

 

Ashley glanced at her, “Why the hell didn't you use that last time.” To which Shepard gestured at the ash on the ground, “I wasn't sure if they were more synthetic or organic, that attack is specifically designed for wiping out lightly armored organic targets, it also has a rather large area of effect, and I didn't want to singe off your eyebrows, Chief.”

 

The trio cautiously made their way to the bottom of the platform, but after a quick sweep it was determined that no more hostiles remained in the area, “Normandy, we have secured the beacon. I need a pickup at my location.”

 

“Um, sure, but who is this?” The confused voice of Joker on the comm brought an unconscious smirk to the blonde, one that was infuriatingly familiar to the brunette standing near her. “This is Varan, or do you think that some random passerby on Eden Prime is using her omni-tool?”

 

“All right, jeez, you just sound really different, sorry.” Ashley was about to finally ask if this Shepard was indeed the same woman she was in boot with, but she found herself suddenly shoved aside as the blonde rushed forward grasping her arms around the Lieutenant who had been in the process of being dragged towards the beacon. Having lost its initial target the beacon latched on to the Spectre, and Ashley was forced to restrain the Lieutenant in her arms as he attempted to reach the Spectre, “Do you want that fucking thing to get both of you LT!”

 

They could only watch in horror as Shepard's body was engulfed in a green aura, before suddenly the beacon lit up green, stress lines etching their way across the device, until finally it detonated sending the Spectre's body flying into a stack of nearby crates.

 

Ashley could only glance between the destroyed beacon, and the unconscious Spectre who may or may not be a dead woman, and she was pretty sure in that moment that the William's curse wasn't as metaphorical a thing as she had previously believed.

 

S&S


	2. Survivors, Butchers, Heroes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small note about the tech in these stories for those new. The Alliance uses Thermal clips in this story, while the Council still uses the ME 1 style heat sinks. The council of course uses the heat sinks because that was delivery system the Prothean's used, while the Alliance simply adapted the Prothean designs into the ammo delivery system they found most comfortable. Of course both systems have advantages, but thermal clip guns are substantially cheaper to produce.
> 
> Songs:  
> Rachel Gates: The Undead West by Knock Gallery West  
> David and Eva: I Miss You by Joel Sandberg  
> Cloak: Psycho by Muse  
> Bar Fight: Battle Without Honor or Humanity by Tomoyasu Hotei

S&S

 

“How's she doing, Doctor?” The Captain's voice caused Chakwas to look up from the datapad in her hands, giving a sad but knowing smile at the Captain, “No different than she was ten minutes ago, Captain.”

 

Anderson sighed, glancing down at the girl that he considered the closest thing he had to a daughter, “Aside for her being unconscious, is she at least in good shape?” Eva had always had a bad habit of forgetting to take care of herself if someone else wasn't always reminding her.

 

Chakwas gave a small nod, “Aside for the fact that the girl is over thirty percent cybernetic, yes she's fine. And yes I read her file, tragic thing to lose her Father in such a manner, without having to deal with all the other baggage that came with it.” Anderson grimaced at the memories the statement brought up, Eva had been exposed to a large degree of element zero when the shuttle her Father had been on had experience a catastrophic failure in its eezo core.

 

Nothing had been left of Admiral John Shepard, and the secondary exposure to element zero had not only turned his Daughter into a biotic, but had saturated her cells, the direct result being that Eva's body was no longer able to accept cloned tissue. Forcing her to require cybernetic replacements if the damage was too severe, and of course fate would conspire to force her down the path of the soldier, something that had been opposed by virtually everyone who had cared for the girl.

 

He sighed, the past wasn't what he should be focusing on right now. But he was still glad that Eva was still mostly as intact as she had been before her supposed death. Her left eye, lost thanks to a piece of shrapnel from the explosion that killed John, along with her right arm and right hip from when a Thresher Maw had bitten down on her, though she got the last laugh when she detonated the nearby shuttle's drive core, though that had given her yet another exposure to the unstable element zero.

 

Sparring one last glance at Evalyn he glanced at the Doctor, “Let me know if there is any change in her condition, I need to go and have a very awkward conversation with her Grandfather.” Chakwas nodded to him, though he swore the woman was smirking at his discomfort.

 

As Anderson began to make his way out he paused next to Alenko's form on the table, “You doing alright, Lieutenant?” Kaidan for his part just nodded, though he grimaced a little, no doubt his biotic usage on the planet had given him a hell of a migraine. “Just hang in there son, we'll get this mess sorted out yet.”

 

Kaidan nodded, before he finally croaked out what he had been trying to work up the courage to say, “Sir, it was my fault she got caught in the beacon, I wandered too close to it.”

 

Anderson sighed, “Eva didn't even know the range of that thing, because if she did, trust me, she would have told you. There was a lot of unknowns on this mission, and after dealing with the Geth, and a dead Spectre, there is no reason to blame yourself for what happened with the beacon. So just focus on recovery Lieutenant, trust me I'm going to need all the help I can get dealing with this shit storm.”

 

Kaidan smiled weakly at that, “Yes, Sir.”

 

“Good, man.”

 

Anderson waved a hand over the med-bay door, slipping outside into the still dimmed common area, the ship itself was in its night cycle so there wasn't a soul in sight, except for the form of Chief Williams sprawled across the table. Kaidan had spoken nothing but praise about the noncom, and from what he had seen of her service record in the brief glance he had taken she appeared to be an exemplary officer, and perhaps some good should come out of this fiasco.

 

Making a note to come back and check on her after he was done talking to the Admirals, Anderson climbed the stairs and headed for the briefing room. The same room where just hours before he had unknowingly been talking to his Goddaughter, where he had insulted a now dead Spectre because he had the misfortune of being trained by Saren, and who according to reports may have been killed by that same scumbag.

 

But he couldn't afford to dwell on that now, the Admiralty was going to be furious over how this mission had turned out, and bringing up Saren wasn't going to win him any points here, or anywhere really.

 

Nodding to Pressley over in the ops corridor, Anderson waved his hand in front of the briefing room panel, speaking to the V.I as he made his way down to the holographic projector located in the back, “Get me Admiral Hackett on the line, I'm sure that he can conference in the rest of the interested parties.”

 

By the time he reached the projector Hackett's form was already waiting for him, shortly joined by Lindholm, and finally Admiral Drescher.

 

“David I think you can appreciate it when I say this mission could have gone better.” Hackett's voice was a calm growl, “The loss of the beacon is one thing, but Nihlus dead on Alliance soil is not something we are just going to be able to apologize over.”

 

Lindholm snorted, the Nordic woman just sneered at the cap wearing officer, “And lets not even get in to the fact that Evalyn Shepard is fucking alive, do you really expect me to think you weren't aware of that little fact Anderson?”

 

The voice Admiral Drescher calmly interjected, “What Admiral Lindholm means, Captain. Is that we are aware of how close you two were, did you not have any idea that she was in fact still alive?” Ever the diplomat, despite possessing one of the more impressive service records of the Admiralty. Admiral Kastanie Drescher was an imperious looking woman who had liberated Shanxi from the Turians. Though she had spent most of her years since then being the voice of reason to the increasingly isolated Admiralty.

 

Before Anderson could reply, he was cut off by Lindholm's holographic form stabbing a virtual finger at his chest, “And not a fucking word of this to Harrison, last thing we need is him dropping everything to run off for a family reunion.”

 

At that nearly everyone frowned but Lindholm, before Hackett coolly stated, “She's his Granddaughter Ines, she's all that he has left.” That of course didn't seem to move the blonde woman one iota, “And do I need to remind you exactly who he is dealing with right now? The moment that situation is handled you can give him the happy news yourself, but until then this stays in this fucking room.”

 

Drescher sighed, “She has a point, and Harrison is the only person we have left that has a proven track record dealing with him.”

 

Hackett glanced from one woman, to the other, before nodding and turning to Anderson. “Alright you heard them Anderson, keep Harrison in the dark for now, if he gives you shit for it later tell him you were just following orders. Worst he can do to me is slug me again.”

 

Anderson nodded, but finally asked the question that had been burning in his brain, “What exactly is happening about this situation, officially I mean.”

 

Lindholm laughed, “The President is trying to open up direct negotiations, I think for some reason he believes that Evalyn's identity is a trump card. Have I mentioned today that he's an idiot?” When no one reacted to her statement she rolled her eyes at the lot of them, “Udina is trying to draw up an arrangement that makes it look like the SA was indeed aware of, and approved of her induction into the Spectres. Evalyn will return to the fold, get back her old rank, and we get a Spectre. Overall not a bad days work for the little toad.”

 

Anderson nodded, though he wasn't sure how Evalyn would react to that, and he didn't want to bring up the question of what happened if she refused to rejoin the Alliance. Eva had felt betrayed to her very core when she had been discharged, and he somehow doubted that her time spent as a Spectre had improved her disposition towards the Alliance to any great degree. Absence in the case of the Shepard's, did not seem to make the heart fonder.

 

Hackett glanced at something off screen for a moment before looking back at Anderson, “Udina needs your crew to be at the Citadel at best speed, he's managed to arrange a meeting with the Council over the Eden Prime attack.”

 

“Yes, lets show off our ability to wail like children some more, not like the aliens are going to give a toss.” Lindholm's final remark as the projector died was blunt, but not an inaccurate statement. Donnel Udina was a politician, an actually effective one too, but unfortunately given the current disposition that most of the galaxy had towards their race, the man was essentially forced to stand up on his soap box as often as he could, to simply rail and rave against the galaxy and its outlying suburbs on the behalf of his species.

 

Anderson wouldn't wish such a task on his worst enemy.

 

“It's going to be a long day.” He spoke out loud, and while no answer came in the dark room, Anderson knew in his bones the Normandy agreed with him.

 

S&S

 

Half a galaxy away a very different conversation was happening.

 

“Do you know what the worst part of house arrest is?” The voice in the air was intelligent, not cultured, not refined, but instead laced with an almost predatory intelligence.

 

“No, I don't.” Harrison Shepard leaned back in the chair he had been offered, the recently returned to active duty Admiral hadn't expected to find himself back on Earth quite as quickly as he did, but he had understood why the moment Hackett had spoken a single name, Maximilian 'Max' Kressner. One of the single most dangerous human beings alive, and the oldest serving N7, a record that he was unlikely to ever be broken given the nature of his recruitment.

 

A chuckle came from the silver haired man sitting across from him, and while only 49 his hair had been silver for nearly a decade at this point, “It's the house. I've learned over the years that a man can deal with just about anything, but this, this gives him the illusion of freedom. Something about the human mind doesn't like that, it likes things to be cut and dry, but you put up some nice walls instead of bars and your mind doesn't know what the hell to do with itself.”

 

“If you prefer you could be back in a cell, Max.”

 

The man gave a single nod, “Yes, I suppose you could arrange that. Though I am rather certain that Sarah would be quite cross with you.” He reached down pulling grabbing the bottle of water sitting on a nearby table, “So what do you need me to do? We both know how much you hate space travel, so I find it a little hard to believe that you just flew to Arcturus, only to fly right back to where you started just to drop in, and say hi to your old pal Max, or did you want to chat about the Hockey? I've got a good feeling that this is the year Toronto makes it.”

 

Harrison rolled his eyes at the last statement, “Maybe I wanted to talk to Mary.”

 

“Somehow I think your late Wife would understand if you missed out on one of your monthly chats.” As the room grew somber the man took another drink, “Seriously, Harrison. You either have a mission for me, or you can leave. Sarah is back in a few days, she and Emily are off visiting her Parents, so if you have something for me to do I'd like to get started.”

 

Harrison nodded, pulling out a datapad, along with an authorized pass from inside his coat. “Your old pals the Reds are causing trouble again, they've been trying, without much success I might add, to make inroads into the galactic market of scumbags. Only problem is their new leader seems to think that brute force is the way to go, there have been twelve different attacks on six spaceports in the central North American arcology alone. So I want you to do what you do best, and send a message.”

 

Kressner who had been perusing the data on the pad while Harrison talked nodded, “Is this the loud kind of message, or the quiet kind?”

 

“Quiet, and no explosives. Nothing that can link this attack back to the Alliance directly, but I don't want there to be any doubt that this was retaliation for such stupidity. They can run their drugs and guns all they want, just so long as they don't cause trouble in the SA's jurisdiction.

 

While the Systems Alliance nominally represented humanity on the galactic stage, it had no official say, or presence on the homeworld. The exception was land that was voluntary given to the SA, such as Alliance headquarters in the area formerly considered Vancouver, or the N-school training grounds down in Rio.

 

As such the Alliance was also not authorized to operate on the sovereign territory of other nations, such as the United North American States in this instance. And while the UNAS and the other more advanced nations on Earth supplied most of the troops for the SA, they also had their own interests in void. Human colonies fell into one of two categories, colonial or Alliance, while they all were nominally under SA law, colonial planets had most of their resources shipped back to their founder nations. This of course resulted in the ever increasing divide on Earth between the have, and the have nots nations on the planet, but that wasn't the SA's problem, and as terrible as it sounded those poorer nations did mean that there was always a large pool of willing men and women eager to join up in the hopes of gaining a better life.

 

Which meant that this mission had to be done without drawing undue attention, because if their agent was caught the political blow back could be seriously damaging. Especially when the Alliance was currently in the process of forming a sixth fleet, while at the same time retrofitting most of first. Even the smallest disruption of supply lines could be catastrophic at this time.

 

And so they turned to the man they knew could get the job done.

 

“All right, I'll do it.”

 

Harrison just nodded, “You're gear is waiting at the safehouse we have set up, it is in the city proper, but thanks to zoning laws it's actually on Alliance territory. Funny how things get mixed up when no one is paying attention.” He paused his speech while he rose to his feet, before grabbing the pass on the table and handing it to the larger man, “Oh, and don't lose that authorization pass, otherwise you will be listed as having gone rogue regardless of the success or failure of the mission.”

 

“Understood.”

 

As the Admiral left the room the Butcher of Torphan smirked, while the house arrest was nice, and he enjoyed spending the extra time with his family, it always felt good to know that your work was appreciated.

 

S&S

 

A groan escaped from the human woman on the table as she slowly made her way back to consciousness, though her attempts to right herself were stopped by a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder. “Easy, Spectre. You have a mild concussion at best, and that isn't even taking into consideration what the beacon may have done to you.”

 

As Evalyn cracked open her eyes she was greeted with the hazy form of Doctor Chakwas, “Doctor. I assume that my medical records were very helpful.” Her lips tilted into a small smirk, one that caused the Doctor to simply shake her head at the younger woman, “Yes very helpful my dear.”

 

“How is our patient doing, Doctor?” Eva's whole body stiffened at the sound of Anderson's voice, slowly turning her head until she found herself looking directly at him, though he was doing his best to not look directly into her eyes.

 

“As well as one can expect, Captain.” Anderson nodded, before his gaze shifted towards Eva, “Would it be out of the question for me to have a few private words with the Spectre?” Chakwas glanced towards Eva, who gave a tiny nod of agreement, “I'll just go and check on the Lieutenant then, but message me if anything happens, both of you.” Her glare shifted between the both of them before they nodded their agreement, at that the seemingly mollified matron made her way out of the med-bay.

 

The moment the door shut behind her the already tense atmosphere just grew worse, as the two of them just awkwardly starred at one another, each unsure where to begin.

 

Finally a sound escaped Anderson's lips, though it was too quiet for Eva to hear from her position on the examination table, “I'm sorry, kind of hard to hear from here.”

 

“Five years.” The statement was small, in fact so was the number, except it wasn't.

 

Evalyn Shepard had been dead for five years, killed when the exploratory vessel she had signed up for following her discharge had been destroyed. Of course she had only been on the ship for a total of twenty minutes, but the ships destruction had been real, and not originally part of the plan. But it had meant that there had been no going back, and honestly she had never regretted her decision all that much.

 

Until now.

 

“I never meant for it to happen that way.” She practically whispered her reply, but the older man heard her clear enough, “Did you not trust me enough to let me know the truth?”

 

“What? No! That wasn't it at all.” She tried to sit up, but instead she fought back a wince her head throbbed from the sudden movement. Anderson instead moved closer to her, putting a firm hand on her shoulder to stop any further attempts at ascension, “Then why, Eva?”

 

She glanced away, not wanting him to see the liquid pooling in her eyes, “I didn't want you to be ashamed of me, I know your opinion of Spectres, I mean, I really know your opinion of Spectres.” If she had been looking at him she would have seen the wince that crossed his features, but she was spared from watching the pain flick across his face as her second Father went over ever interaction he had had with her since she boarded his ship.

 

“You're right in that I'm not a fan of Spectres, that kind of power changes a person. But I will always be proud of you, child. Remember that.” She nodded her head a few times, before rolling over and tossing her arms around him, pain be damned.

 

Anderson after a few moments returned the embrace, “I missed you, Eva” She gave a noise that was a mix between a laugh, and a sob, “I missed you too.”

 

“Nihlus is dead.” The admission was like a blade in her gut, one that caused her muscles to go taut with anger at the senseless loss of life, “He was going to be a father soon, some fucking Godparent I am, letting her Dad die before she's even born.”

 

Anderson just let the girl vent into his uniform, unable to make out half her muttering but that wasn't the point, the point was for him to simply be there for the child. Eva had never done well with loss of those close to her. And this was surprisingly controlled given some of her previous outbursts. But eventually the two separated, Eva still sniffling laughed a little, “Give me a few minutes to get myself back under control, I don't want to have to report to the Council looking like I was just crying.”

 

Anderson frowned at the mention of the Council, a reaction that Eva did not miss, “Regardless of the state of my cover I'm still a Council Spectre, and trust me they will want to hear what I have to say.”

 

Anderson sighed, but nodded, “The Admiralty wants to speak with you as well, though I don't think I can convince you to talk to them first.” At the shake of her head he sighed, but nodded. “All right, I'll send Doctor Chakwas back in to take one last look at you, is that acceptable?”

 

At her nod he gave a small smile, “It's good to have you back, Eva.” And with that he was gone, disappearing through the already closing med-bay door.

 

Though as Eva let her fingers trail along the metal of the med-bay wall a smile creeping across her features, “It's good to be back.”

 

S&S

 

Rachel Gates starred at the ever increasing number as the lift continued to move steadily up, until finally the ridiculously appointed elevator reached the top floor, and the penthouse she had been instructed by her brokerage contact to enter.

 

She had only recently met the Salarian that referred to himself only as Cloak, but he was ancient from what she could tell, though honestly to nearly every other race in the galaxy that simply meant he was middle aged.

 

The Hero of Elysium had only come in contact with him because she had been appropriated by Rear Admiral Kahoku to act as his bodyguard during negotiations, of course like everything involving the Broker it had turned out that she was the primary focus of the meeting, Kahoku simply a pawn to get them what they wanted.

 

And why did they want her? Because she was apparently on the shortlist for potential inducement into the Spectres, and the Broker just happened to be in the market for such a replacement. Enter Rachel Gates, orphan, patriot, habitual malcontent off duty, and one of the best damn shots in the Alliance.

 

She was one of those special kind of idiots who joined the Alliance, the type who didn't do it for fame, or money, she did it simply because she knew what it was like when the Alliance couldn't get the job done, her life had essentially ended on Mindoir, and her vengeful spirit had kept her body moving since then.

 

And so the Broker had appealed to that spirit, offering the one thing she couldn't pass up, the scum who had been in charge of the Mindoir raid.

 

That was why she found herself standing in the middle of this dark but obviously plush apartment, surrounded by opulence she didn't care for, waiting to find out what the Broker wanted of her, what they planned to make her do to prove her willingness to play ball.

 

“Lieutenant, if you would please follow the light in to the living room.” Cloak's voice came from around her, but the light that turned on further inside the apartment at least gave her a location to move towards. She made her way smoothly, but kept her wits about her, never moving without checking what could be behind any corner, any object, she still didn't, and likely never would trust these people. And she was rather certain that they probably preferred things that way.

 

As she slipped into the lit room she took in several rather modern looking couches, a much too large vid screen, and a bar in the corner. Though what drew her eye was the matte black case that was sitting in the middle of the room, easily large enough to fit a body inside.

 

“Open the case, Lieutenant.” How that decrepit skeleton of a Salarian had such a strong voice was beyond her, but it wasn't exactly like she could just outright ask such a question, or she could but all she would probably get was one of those much too wide smiles from the creature.

 

Tentatively approaching the case she traced her fingers along the lid until she found two hidden latches, steeling herself she whispered under her breath, “Please don't be a body,” and with a single movement threw the lid off of the case.

 

Her training kicked in before the lid even hit the floor, as she had already taken a step back, drawing her concealed pistol while she did so, the only sound in the room was her heavy breathing, and Cloak's chuckling over the speakers.

 

“Really now, I thought we had more trust in each other than that.” Another dry chuckle filled the room, “Now, if you are quite done wasting my time get ready, you have a big day ahead of you.”

 

Letting a sigh escape her lips Gates leaned forward to get a good look inside the case, and while she hated to admit it she rather did like what she saw.

 

The armor was sleek, jet black, and obviously of much higher quality than what the Alliance issued. But what really drew her attention was the rifle and not in a good way, “That's a Kishock, why the hell am I looking at a Kishock.”

 

The Batarian rifle was just one of the many things she hated about the four eyes, it wasn't enough for them to kill their targets, no they wanted them to suffer. The weapon fit roughly into the category of a sniper rifle, but instead of the using an ammo block to carve the projectile used, the Kishock fired single shot barbed harpoons. And if you somehow managed to survive the initial strike, well the massive internal bleeding that the projectile caused as it passed through your body was certain to finish you off.

 

“That will be your weapon for this mission, understand that declining any part of this assignment will result in our arrangement being nullified, and we would not want that, would we, Lieutenant?”

 

“Understood,” she grumbled at the disembodied voice, pulling the loose sweater she had been wearing over her head, next she kicked off her boots, and finally she managed to shimmy out of her jeans which she left strewn across the floor. Turning back to the crate she pulled out the black insulated bodysuit that was the base layer for most species armors, though she noted that this one was perhaps the most comfortable she had ever used, another perk from the Broker she supposed.

 

Slipping her crucifix inside the neck of the suit she finished zipping it up before glancing over at the armor still inside the box, and after twenty or so minutes she found herself standing in the room fully armored, the Kishock locked on to her back, while the helmet began it's boot cycle.

 

After a minute or so a HUD flickered before her eyes, a faintly glowing trail leading her through the apartment, and outside on to the veranda which overlooked Kithoi Ward on the Citadel. The trail though flickered for a few moments, before it blinked and shot upwards into the sky, highlighting a circle on a nearby building.

 

“Um, Cloak, bit of help here. Your nav software just went insane, or really overestimates my athletic capabilities.”

 

There was nothing but silence for a response, before she noticed a blinking icon on her HUD. Glancing at it a small description appeared:

 

_Grapple active, magnetic grapples located within gauntlets can be activated through set hand movements. Internal V.I will not fire grapples if it does not detect a suitable surface at the impact zone._

 

She re-read the statement again, torn between how cool it sounded, and how terrified she was to go soaring through the skies of the Citadel. There was a reason she preferred to take slower ground transportation, being preferable to risking her life in the skyways with those maniacs.

 

“In for a penny.” She muttered to herself as she raised her arm, miming the gesture that popped up before her, only to find herself screaming from both exhilaration and terror as she went flying towards the target zone, her instincts caused her to land in a crouch, assisted by her boots automatically locking down on the horizontal surface that she was perched on. The nav marker once again shimmered and changed, and so she aimed her remaining free hand at the new target, letting out another whoop, this one with substantially less terror, as she honestly did something she had never in her wildest of dreams considered of doing.

 

This continued for some time, and she began to get into a fast enough rhythm that she could move from landing zone to landing zone with minimal slowdown. But finally she was instructed to pull herself on top of one of the dozen or so financial buildings that ringed Edroki Plaza, one of the preeminent financial hubs on the Citadel. She made her across the roof, following the trail all way to the edge of the building that glowed faintly in her HUD, before glancing out and over the edge, marveling at the height she had ascended to.   
  


“Take out the rifle, you are looking for a human male, he should be by himself.”She knelt down, bringing the rifle to a ready position as the scope automatically linked up to her helmet, she began to scan the plaza below, “Anything more distinguishing to go off of? Lone human male is not exactly an uncommon category here.”

 

And it really wasn't, a lot of humans unable, or unwilling to put in the work back home liked to move to Citadel space, working under the mistaken impression that simply by basis of them being human they would be able to make something of themselves.

 

“He is reading a book, not a datapad, one of your ludicrous paper books.” She frowned at that comment, but didn't voice her disagreement with the statement as she was pretty sure that would not be a good idea on her part. Finally her sweep stopped, as she centered on a man who was isolated in a small cafe patio, though she was unable to make out what the book was in his hands. Her hands trembled, as she knew deep down what would happen once she reported her success.

 

“Target in sight.” She kept her scope on the man, ignoring the slight tremble that shook her scope, was she truly willing to kill this man? Just for the promise of revenge.

 

“Eliminate the target.” A single breath later, and the man was sprawled across his table, her question answered, and Cloak's request fulfilled.

 

“A transport will arrive in twenty seconds, make sure you are on board.” The nav marker had shifted again, and by the time she had reached the indicated location she could already see the transport flying in. It was entirely nondescript, though the speed at which the ramp opened to give her access spoke to the fact that appearances were deceiving.

 

She slumped down in one of the seats, tossing the rifle down next to her. “Do not worry, Lieutenant. We will take care of the gun's disposal.” She glanced up, spotting the robed, and hooded form of Cloak sitting across from her, the brokerage Agent simply gave her one of his eerie smiles when he realized her gaze was upon him.

 

“What did he do?” The question floated in the air, but it only seemed to cause the amphibian's smile to widen further, “Lieutenant, I will answer your question if you truly wish to know, but understand that I make no judgments, you do not have to pretend to have a conscience around me.” He paused momentarily, his alien eyes appraising her for a few moments, “So let me ask you a question first, do you,” he stressed the you, and they both knew why, “Want to know?” His previous smile had morphed into a knowing smirk, as they both knew the answer to his question, and they both knew that he would have his answer.

 

She glanced away, unwilling to look him in the eye as she answered, “No.”

 

The rest of the ride was spent in merciful silence, before she could feel the shuttle slow down before coming to a halt, a hiss filling the compartment as the ramp extended again. Glancing outside she saw that they had returned to the penthouse from earlier, “Whose place is this anyway?”

 

The Salarian merely smirked, “Why it is yours of course.” He pulled out a small datapad, handing it to her, a quick glance showed that it contained all the appropriate documents to prove that this was indeed her domicile.

 

“Remember my dear, the Broker takes care of his own.” With that he lightly pushed her out of the shuttle, and she could only stare at her newly gained property with apprehension.

 

It was easy to make a deal with a devil when you had a clear goal, but it was obvious to her that now that the Broker planned to get his hooks into her, he never planned on letting her go.

 

But what worried her more was that the spirit inside of her didn't care, as long as it got what it wanted it was willing to do whatever it took, even if that meant drowning the Citadel itself in blood.

 

S&S

 

Eva had successfully ignored all the stares being leveled at her as she made her way towards the briefing room, though she was forced to use the railing as she ascended to the command deck, thanks to the dizziness that refused to go away. Chakwas would likely be furious once she realized that she had slipped off before she could take another look at her, but this was not something that could be put off, and Anderson's babying was not going to stop her from doing her job.

 

As she exited into the CIC she saw Pressley's eyes widen, he began to move for the comm terminal but she was faster, and the older human found himself frozen in place, “Don't worry Pressley it's just a stasis field. It will wear off in a few minutes, and that is all the time I need.” With that she made her way to the briefing room that she had been in only, hours? She realized at the moment she had no idea how long she had been unconscious for, of course that was something that could be investigated later.

 

Making her way inside the doorway she overrode the door's controls, not wanting to have any unwelcome guests while she was talking to her superiors. She slowly made her way down to the center of the room, “V.I, Specter override 432155, get me the Council.”

 

“Accepted, Spectre Varan. Have a nice day.” She could only smirk at the last statement, pleasantries in a military V.I had always seemed a weird choice to her, but she also used them as pseudo-companions so what did she know about normal reactions.

 

The trio of hazy images before her took some time to snap into focus, but finally the representatives of the three most power species in the galaxy appeared before her.

 

Sparatus went to speak first, but he was stopped by a gesture from the Asari Councilor. “Let the Spectre give her report first.”

 

Eva gave a small nod of thanks, before taking a deep breath to calm herself, and decided that it would be best to start from the beginning. “We entered the Utopia system on schedule, but en route to Eden Prime we received a transmission from the soldiers assigned to protect the dig site, it was under heavy attack from an unknown enemy.” Valern's expression shifted at the last comment, but he remained silent.

 

“Spectre Kyrik, myself, and two of the Normandy's marines landed on the surface and moved to secure the beacon. Nihlus acted as lead scout, while I along with the marines moved to the beacon's last known location. One marine died shortly after landing, at which point we managed to recruit the sole survivor of those marines who had sent the earlier transmission. It was at this point that we discovered that the hostiles were Geth.”

 

“Geth? Are you certain?” Valern's gaze was fixated on her, and at her confirmation he stroked his jaw with one hand, “Fascinating.”

 

Sparatus for his part was not as fascinated, “What would the Geth want with a beacon? Better yet how did they avoid our patrols?” Both of which Evalyn admitted were excellent questions, “I don't know about how they evaded the patrols, Sir. But for some reason they had left the beacon behind.”

 

That sparked Tevos' interest, “You managed to recover the beacon then?” Her eyes seemed to light up at the possibility, but that quickly dimmed when the Spectre shook her head. “It appeared intact when we reached it, but one of the marines stumbled into its field, I was forced to pull him out, only to be caught by the device in turn.”

 

Tevos frowned, “And yet here you stand, seemingly alive.” At that Shepard tilted her head in confusion, “Councilor?”

 

Valern coughed lightly, “Beacons have proven to be dangerous to all physiology but Asari, this is however the first example of human exposure to a working beacon, it is possible that they are compatible as well.” He hummed, obviously considering the possibilities of the Asari no longer having a monopoly on the most guarded secrets of the Protheans.

 

Of course Shepard had her own theory, and it was that she was only still functioning thanks to her Graybox. The mechanical device essentially ran her brain, so it could be that such a setup allowed her to survive the exposure.

 

“Regardless of how she survived that doesn't answer the question as to what happened to the beacon.” Tevos' obviously annoyed voice broke Shepard out of her musings, “It appears to have suffered a critical overload, Councilor. I believe that it was perhaps damaged by the excavation, or perhaps intentionally damaged by the Geth.”

 

“And Nihlus?” Sparatus' voice was uncharacteristically quiet, and she found she couldn't quite meet his gaze, “We found his body in the spaceport sir, I don't know who killed him, though a dockworker claimed that it was a silver Turian, that Nihlus himself identified as Saren.”

 

Before Sparatus could react to her statement Tevos held up her hands, “Gentlemen I think our Spectre had been through quite enough. I'd like to have the room.” Her male counterparts both glanced uncomfortably at each other, before realizing that this was not something that Tevos planned to back down from, and neither of them really knew what to do with such an odd action by the Asari Councillor.

 

So they did the sensible thing, and left.

 

As soon as they both fizzled out of the call Tevos leveled her gaze at her, “What did you see?”

 

_Blood red skies, claws of death reaching down from the skies, the mechanical feeding off of the organic._

 

Shepard winced from the images that paraded before her, “Death, destruction, synthetics, I assume it must have something to do with the end of the Protheans.” The Asari studied her for a few moments before nodding, “Thank you for telling me Spectre, my people have more experience with the beacon's than any other, and I simply wanted to ascertain your status.”

 

They both knew that was a lie, but Shepard also knew that a race like the Asari, beings who had hardly advanced since they had taken over the Citadel, did not reach their level of technological superiority by sharing their secrets. 

 

Tevos sighed, “Now I want your honest opinion, Shepard. Could Saren,” she paused, as though chiding herself for actually thinking what she was about to say, “Could he have been the one who killed Nihlus.”

 

Shepard frowned, but after a brief moment nodded, “There were only five of us who knew of this mission, Saren, Jondum, Vasir, Nihlus, and myself. And the Alliance had every communication buoy in the system offline the moment the beacon was unearthed. Also I was unable to contact Nihlus once he proceeded towards the spaceport, as Spectre frequencies around the area were actively being jammed, and only Spectre frequencies.” She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck with her natural hand, “Nihlus was also killed from a single shot to the base of the skull at point blank range, the shot was fired from withing his kinetic barrier envelope, and there was only one person that Nihlus ever trusted to turn his back to.”

 

Tevos nodded sadly, “We will have come to a compromise with the Alliance regarding this matter, the Human ambassador has demanded an audience with us, which we shall grant.” When Shepard opened her mouth to speak, Tevos silenced her with a gesture, “You will give a report based only on the facts, not your feelings, or the confidential information you just stated.”

 

Noticing Eva's frown Tevos continued, “We will not take punitive action against Saren in that session, but you will be given three days to accumulate evidence that proves your theory.”

 

Shepard realized where this plan was going nodded, “Everyone loses face, so that no one wins, and it gives the Alliance proof that I am still a team player.”

 

Tevos nodded, “The Alliance will of course be unaware that you are acting on orders when you assist them, you will just be returning to the fold.” Shepard nodded in understanding, but she noticed that Tevos' eyes held a hard edge, “Do not forget where your loyalties lie Shepard.”

 

Shepard dipped into what was possibly the most perfect Asari bow she had ever manged, “Of course, Councilor.”

 

“Good. And I will inform Spectre Vasir in regards to Nihlus' fate, you have enough to deal with.” Shepard bristled at the last statement, Vasir was her friend, but then again she had to concede that Tela and Tevos had been working together for longer than she had been alive.

 

As the Asari's form blinked away Shepard let out an explosive breath, she had only been on a human ship for less than a day and already her loyalty was being doubted.

 

“Athame's tits I hate politics.”

 

S&S

 

His boots crunched through the layers of detritus that made up the ground of the lower levels of the arcology, Kressner had grown up in a place just like this, and it was because of places like this that he would always be a mystery to those who had never spent their formative years here.

 

Because they didn't understand that in an environment such as this life had only two outcomes, thrive, or die. 

 

That process was called adaptation, and Kressner had adapted very well to his given environment. He had started young, as most did, though he could no longer recall exactly how young mostly given that he only ever had the roughest of guesses as to his actual age. In the beginning he had stuck mostly to just running for the mid-level gangs, but it wasn't long before he eventually had moved up to straight up smuggling, he had prided himself on being able to make it past any checkpoint that the authorities had attempted to setup.

 

But it was during a night where a routine drop off had turned into a full on raid that he had found his true vocation. The gear he had been running had been just a few colonial grade pistols, one's that packed enough of a punch to take down whatever native fauna was trying to eat your face on any given day. Banned on earth of course, but then it wasn't like he would have been smuggling legal weapons.

 

Four cops later and he and his partner had gotten away without being identified, but that had left one loose end too many, so out went the partner.

 

He wanted to believe that Luke understand why he had done what he did, and to this day Max believed that he would have done the same had he found the balls to pick up a gun. But he hadn't, and so his story ended that night.

 

It didn't take long before word spread of what had happened, not that a run in with the cops was a rare occurrence, but what happened in the aftermath was what interested people, and when people found something interesting, well you take advantage of that fact.

 

And he made fucking sure that he kept them interested, taking on jobs that no one else would take on, because Kressner had realized something about himself. It wasn't about the money, or the killing, it was about the knowledge that his skills were a valuable commodity.

 

Anyone can pick up a gun, but not everyone's ability to do so came with an inherent price tag. Back then he saw himself as a modern day gunslinger, blowing from one arcology to the next, leaving behind a trail of corpses that only served to push his price higher. And that price was the only thing he came to care about, not because he really valued the money, but because he knew that other people placed value in it.

 

To an orphan who had started off with nothing, knowing that those who would never have spared a glance for him were forced to grovel for his services was the greatest kind of high he had ever experienced.

 

Of course like all high's he began to chase it, until finally he slipped up, caught in a joint sting operation between the SA and UNAS. But rather than go out in a blaze of glory like he had always imagined, he instead languished in prison for half a decade.

 

His feet came to a stop as he arrived at his destination, the ratty nightclub known as 'Crimson.' He never could understand why the Red's bothered to refer to the nightclub by that moniker, it wasn't like their HQ was a secret, but then gangs weren't known for being incredibly intelligent. Ducking inside the entrance he made his way inside, his hands hovering over the weapons hidden inside his coat. But it wasn't exactly uncommon for people to carry down here on ground level, and the bouncer let his imposing form by with a minimal amount of fuss.

 

He moved his way around the room, slowly casing the room, looking for his target. But of course as luck would have it his target wasn't here, yet. So he ordered a beer and settled down into a dingy corner, his beaten gray wool sweater, worn cloth duster, and equally torn up trousers blending him in effortlessly with the rest of the junkies.

 

His time in prison had taught him several lessons, the most important one being that even the most prolific of killers can have a use to the civilized. And so one day Admiral John Shepard had appeared in front of his cell, in his hands had been a singular sheet of paper which explained that in exchange for being released, he agreed to serve the remainder of his life sentence as a soldier of the Alliance.

 

Such an act had been without precedent, though the rumor mill had it that in an effort to cut costs the Alliance and its members nations were looking at forming entire divisions of such soldiers for extremely high risk missions, he wondered if they would name them after him in some way? The Butcher's boys perhaps?

 

Finishing the beer he groaned as he stood, appearances forced him to make the journey to the bar for another bottle, though as he leaned against the bar in an attempt to attract the barkeeps attention. fortune smiled.

 

The man actually strutted as he walked into the pathetic excuse of an establishment, as though somehow this tiny, piss smelling, hole in the wall was something to be proud of. And as if manipulated by fate herself the man made his way directly towards the undercover N7, his mouth turned into some kind of smug grin as he attempted an accent he had probably seen in a vid.

 

“What's the problem granddad? Deaf bastard behind the bar not notice you? Not fucking likely I think!”

 

Kressner was a large man, in fact he towered over most, and this little pissant thought he could just walk up and joke with him. He glanced down, growling at the insignificant creature, “I don't have any grandchildren.”

 

The little shit actually grinned at that, “Hey boys, isn't he a scary fellow? Of course you boys are pretty scary too aren't they? Boys show this gent how scary you can be” At that his motley little goon squad all fingered their poorly concealed weapons, though all that did was cause Kressner to finally bite out a laugh.

 

And like all true idiots who don't know why someone is laughing, they joined in.

 

Before finally brains, as he had taken to call him, realized he didn't know what was so funny, but before he could say a word he found a knife firmly embedded in his throat.

 

“You know I was really planning on letting you have at least one last drink, a kind of courtesy, but damn it you kids these days piss me off.” With that he hauled out the knife, the crimson trail leaking from their now prone leader finally cluing the goon squad in to what had just transpired. But Kressner had already taken action, leaping over the bar to land firmly on top of the bartender who had thrown himself to the ground. “Move, or do anything I don't like, and you die.”

 

Ignoring the babbling wretch by his feet the professional slipped his hand to the holster on his right he pulled out his shotgun, while normally not what he would lead with, the enclosed space plus the relative smallness of the bar made the weapon ideal.

 

But first things first, flashbang. The low class hires had no experience with such tactics, and so most of them found themselves both blind and deaf as the small device detonated upon striking the floor. And so when he hurled himself over the bar he found the opposition minimal at best. Those few who had managed to keep at least one of their senses intact he targeted first, his kinetic barrier taking whatever was thrown at it so far.

 

The fight lasted at most a few minutes, and the ease of it confused him, any idiot with a gun could have done this, so why send him.

 

The answer supplied itself when moments later he found himself flying through the air to solidly bounce against a nearby wall. Shaking his head in an effort to regain his senses he stumbled to his feat, his eyes focusing on the form of an approaching Asari. She was dressed in what amounted to casual wear for their species, which of course meant she was half naked, a biotic aura flickered around her body causing blue tinged shadows to jump about the room.

 

“Fuck you Harrison.” His comment seemed to confuse the Asari, who tilted her head to one side, causing him to note the white facial markings that framed her eyes, “Tell me human, how slowly do you wish to die?” He hoped thunder of his shotgun provided the appropriate response, but the girl's barriers hardly flickered from the impact, instead she lazily gestured and a line of devastation ripped towards him.

 

“Fuck,” he threw himself into a roll, as the area before, and behind, his former position was obliterated by the bitches' shockwave. Kressner though came out of his roll guns blazing, shotgun in his right, recently drawn pistol in his left, though as the shotgun clicked empty he simply hurled the empty weapon towards his opponent, though she swiped the weapon out of the air with a biotic enhanced swing, shards of manufactured material shooting through the air.

 

As he prepared to draw another pistol from his belt he realized that she had beaten him to it, as she too had drawn her own weapon, and soon enough began to return fire with alarming accuracy.

 

The K-barrier generator that Kressner was wearing had been selected solely because it could handle whatever the Red's should have been able to throw at him, while still not drawing suspicion, it was not however designed to handle a military grade weapon. And as the barrier shattered, and he felt the sting of a round clipping his left arm he decided that the blue was definitely better equipped than he was right now.

 

Diving towards a mostly intact metal table he flipped it on to its side, the impromptu shield buying him precious seconds for him to form a plan with what he had available, which included a pistol, a knife, and the corpse next to him. And as his eyes lingered on the corpse an idea came to him, and as a flash of blue filled the room he knew that it was now or never. And so he found himself hauling the corpse up with him, grunting from effort as he hurled the dead weight towards the Asari, and directly in to the path of whatever space magic she was hurling at him.

 

The spell turned out to be a pull field, and so the Asari had no time to react as her mass effect field turned the already approaching corpse into a missile temporarily exempt form the laws of physics. The body caught her square in the chest, her gun knocked from her hands by the impact as she skidded across the room to until she finally slowed down. But as a scream ripped from her lips as her body flared in response to her rage the blue bitch stumbled back to her feet.

 

“No more games human!” That Asari's already impressive aura only grew, as electricity crackled off of the field around her body as she charged an enormous amount of energy for a single attack, like a, and then it hit him.

 

“Flare!”

 

The middle aged human booked it to the safest location he could get to in short notice, which meant a return to the bar where he had started this little escapade. The moment he cleared the bar though a scream that could only be called primal filled the room as the Asari brought down the attack, and as the bar next to him literally shattered, liberally striking him with slivers of steel, glass, and wood, he wondered if the bar had been the right call.

 

Of course he had little time for inner contemplation as the shockwave from the attack struck him, bouncing him into the nearby wall, dimly aware that the poor excuses for pistols in his hands had shaken themselves to pieces from the force of the blow. And he couldn't help but groan in pain as gravity pulled him back to the ground, but even through the pain he reached for the knife at the small of his back, she may have seen him bleed, but this cocky little waif was about to learn why one didn't toss flares around in single combat unless it was going to ring the bell.

 

And so he stumbled back to his feet, blade clutched in his hand prepared to end this fight.

 

But the Asari misunderstood the situation, and seeing the blade in his hands burst into laughter, “A knife? Oh you humans are just so adorable.” But the moment her mouth closed a small gasp escaped her lips as the knife buried itself into her shoulder, her body no longer protected now that she had expended all of her energy into that solitary attack.

 

As the Asari glanced at the blade in her shoulder she became aware that instead of a handle the blade was instead attached to a charge. A concussive charge in fact, which she found out moments later as the combination of sheer concussive force, blinding light, and deafening sound overloaded her senses and caused her body to simply call it quits.

 

And as her body his the ground the last man standing only smirked, “Adorable that.”

 

S&S

 

There had been quite a crowd gathered outside the briefing room door by the time she was done talking to Tevos, including one very angry Captain, but that situation had been defused quickly as Chakwas had marched her directly back to sick bay. Stating very calmly that Shepard had no chance of getting out that door until she had done a thorough checkup.

 

The good doctor had seemed troubled by her brain scans, especially now that she knew that she was indeed looking at a Graybox, an item that had been illegal since 2175 following the Okuda incident. Shepard had only smiled, before glibly informing her that she had installed the cybernetic apparatus outside of Alliance space, so she had technically broken no laws.

 

After being given strict orders to rest Anderson had offered her his cabin, simply stating that he wasn't going to be sleeping for a while anyway. She had taken it, but found herself lying on the bed simply starring at the ceiling, unsure whether sleep would be a blessing or a curse.

 

A sharp rap on the door caught her attention, and she wearily made her way over to the door thumbing the panel to see who was on the other side. And she had to blink her eyes a few times as she realized who it was, “Ash?”

 

And it took her precisely half a second to realize she had gone the entire time on Eden Prime and failed to make the connection, so much for her vaunted intelligence she supposed.

 

Ashley for her part smirked at that, “I was wondering how long it would take you to recognize me, I was half expecting you to say, Chief Williams, again.” Shepard threw her arms around her old friend, but she didn't miss how Ash flinched away from the touch of her synthetic arm, everyone did, everyone but Liara.

 

Eva disengaged, motioning to the sole chair in the room as she moved to the bed, “What were you doing on a ground posting Ash? Or were you just rotated planet side for some light duty?” But the look on Ash's face said otherwise, “No, I've been stuck on the ground since boot.”

 

“But,” an almost explosive sigh came from the blonde, “William's curse?” At her friend's nod Eva just groaned, she couldn't understand the utter stupidity of people, Ash was an exceptional soldier but because of something that had happened before she was born she was punished for it. “That's bullshit Ash, you're an amazing soldier, and if someone can't look past the fact that your Grandfather wasn't left with much of a goddamn choice then they can go to hell.”

 

Her Mother had always spoken highly of General Williams, though it wouldn't be until years later that she fully understood why. As her Mother had served under him, though in an unofficial capacity, and back when her name was still Eva Core, not Hannah Shepard.

 

And so when she and Ash had met in boot camp she had befriended the eldest Williams, and the two of them had made quite the team. Of course they had been separated once Eva went into N-school, and then Akuze happened after that, shortly followed by her discharge which ended any chance of a reunion between the two women. Yet here she was, almost as if by design.

 

A scowl crossed her lips at the errant thought, she had long ago given up any faith she once had, but her subconscious loved to betray her all the same.

 

Ashley for her part was mulling over what had happened to her friend, back in boot the synthetic eye had thrown most people, but well it was just an eye. But the arm was unnerving, and so was the utter lack of any restraint the blonde had in using it, treating it as though it was her natural limb. Most veterans she had met who had cybernetic augments tended to not advertise them, preferring to keep them covered for both their sake, and that of others.

 

Cybernetics had long been a deeply divisive topic for humanity, and many, Ashley included, felt that something was lost when metal replaced flesh. And she honestly found it refreshing that it was also an attitude that the Council took, but here her friend was acting as though she had been born with it. And before her brain had a chance to proofread it, her mouth opened up, “How do you deal with that?”

 

Shepard followed Ashley's pointed look, a frown crossing her features, “By understanding that I have no choice in the matter, and well at this point I'm going to have this arm for longer than I had my original, assuming that I live to be in my late forties of course.” She sighed, absently rubbing her natural arm with the synthetic one, “Okay I can tell you want to ask questions, so fire away, just don't bring up the arm thing.”

 

The brunette nodded, a smirk crossing her features, “So you finally managed to fuck something? Because I seem to recall that you were pretty pent up when you went to N-school, and I know the rumor mill would have lit up if you had grabbed anyone while down in Rio.” Shepard smiled almost bashfully, “Ya, there's someone. But well, we're in a bit of a fight at the moment. I was actually going to do the whole show up and apologize in person thing, but I have a feeling that will have to wait until this whole beacon business is finished.”

 

Ash just smirked, “Sounds like you to have to postpone some steamy reunion because the galaxy is ending, I can just imagine the fights now. 'Sorry Dear, but this star was about to go supernova and I had to save the last batch of space puppies.'” As she finished her sentence Shepard was just glancing at her with a confused expression on her face, “Space puppies?”

 

“I do better with poetry, you know that.” They both chuckled at that, but a sudden buzz interrupted them.

 

“Evalyn, we're approaching the Citadel, and well I hope you are aware that the Council and the Alliance already issued a joint statement about your Spectre status.” A groan escaped from the blonde's lips, causing Ashley to tilt her head in confusion.

 

“Do you know how much paperwork I am going to have to fill to officially change over all my belongings, and lets not get started with the hoops I'm going to have to jump through with the Illium commerce bureau,” she flashed a small grin at Ashley, “Could be worse though, I could do business on Noveria.”

 

Shepard winced as she stood, “Come on Ash, let's get you your first look at the Citadel.” Ash's eyes lit up, though she kept her face restrained as she followed behind her friend. But as Evalyn's eyes fell on Kaidan's form slumped at the mess table she glanced at Ashley, “I'll be up in a minute, why don't you go and introduce yourself to the pilot, Joker.” Catching the hint Ash nodded, her eyes showing sympathy for the Lieutenant.

 

Shepard's approach didn't attract the Lieutenant's attention, but her body thudding into the chair across from him did. His eyes were distant, and bloodshot, and from the way he winced at the low lights in the room she could tell his implant was giving him problems. “Spectre.”

 

“Lieutenant.”

 

“Ma'am, I'm sorry. If I hadn't gotten that close this whole thing wouldn't have happened. We'd still have the beacon, and maybe even a better lead on what the Geth were after.” Shepard waited for him to finish, Kaidan from what she had seen of him was someone who wouldn't appreciate her just foisting her own thoughts on him, so she would listen, and then she would retort.

 

“Kaidan, you don't mind if I call you Kaidan right?” He simply shook his head, “No, Ma'am.” Which caused a small smile to cross her face, “Well Kaidan do you know what the proximity range of a beacon?” At the shake of his head she nodded, “Neither do I. That isn't to say that I do not know a great deal about how Prothean security systems work, but it wasn't like there was a manual for these things lying around.” 

 

“I don't blame you for what happened, Kaidan,” she sighed as she stood up, placing her still natural arm on the biotic's shoulder as she moved past the table. “I'm going to up to watch Ashley's first glance at the Citadel, want to come. I promise that it is quite a sight to see her all excited.” Kaidan frowned, but nodded, “Ya that sounds, good. Shepard.”

 

She clapped him on the shoulder as she made her way to the stairs, Kaidan falling in step behind her. “So how long have you and the Chief known each other?”

 

Shepard laughed, before launching into the tale, “It was a long time ago, in a land ruled by a despot known only as Gunny Ellison.”

 

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So politics, and some targeted killings. And Anderson/Shep get a little I miss you but I'm still kind of pissed off at you moment. Which kind of sums up most of Evalyn's relationships I suppose.
> 
> Kressner and Gates are not central characters, but they will pop up from time to time. I just feel that there should always be a butcher, a hero, and a survivor. Helps to make the galaxy feel just a little bit bigger. 
> 
> I hope that I am doing a good job of differentiating character's voices, some characters I have a very clear picture of, like Cloak, who refuses to use improper language. But sometimes I worry that say Gates and Kressner sound too alike. Anyway let me know what you think about that if you want to.


	3. Sins of the child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs:  
> Ashley Williams: I still believe cover by the Protomen  
> Presidium: Pillars of Light by Jeremiah Pena  
> The Illusive Man: Father of Death by the Protomen  
> Solan: I'm A Man by Black Strobe

S&S

 

“Guess this is where we part ways, again.” Ashley had an almost anxious look on her face, but when Evalyn considered what had happened to the two of them following their last separation, she could understand where Ash's anxiety was coming from.

 

“I put a word in with Anderson, I think he intends on making a request to see you transferred to his command,” As Ash opened her mouth to protest Eva held up a hand, “And don't think of this as me pulling strings for an old friend. We both know you deserve this.” Ash, well she was speechless, and so she just surged forward, pulling the armored Spectre into a very awkward hug.

 

Shepard though used the hug to pass along a message, whispering to her friend, “Whatever happens when you guys meet with the Council understand that I am on your guys' side. Message me when you get back to the embassy's afterward, I put my contact info into your omni.” Breaking the hug she fixed her gaze on Ashley, who gave a small nod, letting Eva know that her friend was on board.

 

Shepard turned to face the lift that was to take her down to C-Sec, her lips turning downward at the thought of the throngs of reporters likely awaiting her. Ash though catching her hesitance gave her a shove, “Come on Shepard, don't tell me your scared of getting that pretty mug of yours photographed.” Eva flashed a scowl at the brunette, but she wasn't about to lose face in front of the few Alliance soldiers milling about the dock. And so she entered the lift alone, letting out a sigh at the doors hissed shut sealing her off from the rest of the world momentarily.

 

Shepard shifted from foot to foot as the lift made its way slowly down to the main C-Sec hub on the Presidium, and while she would deny it to her very last breath she knew that she was a bundle of nerves at that moment. As the lift slowed down even further she schooled her expression, remembering every lesson her elders had hammered into her, to forge her face into an inscrutable stone wall.

 

Lights flashed and strobed as soon as the lift doors began to swing open, camera drones, along with the occasional professional photographer attempting to get the first recent shots of Humanities Spectre.

 

“Spectre Shepard! What do you say in regards to claims that you are unfit to represent Humanity?”

 

“Spectre Shepard, Earth Broadcasting Corporation. Do you have any plans on returning to active service within the Alliance military?”

 

“Spectre Shepard! CNN, do you plan on officially transferring your citizenship status to that of the Republics?”

 

She phased them all out, making her way steadily through the throngs to reach the guarded area that was the beginning of the off limits section of the C-Sec bastion. She was saved the trouble of having to grab the attention of one of the officers on guard duty, as she noticed one human officer making his way directly towards her.

 

His hair was blonde, though that was likely thanks to a dye, as the color was slowly being removed form the gene pool, Eva and her Mother being one of those notable exceptions. She studied him as he approached, likely one of the newer batches of human recruits, but further analysis was cut short as he stopped once he was within grasping distance, “Ma'am, Officer Eddie Lang. I've been instructed to bring you to Executor Pallin, and Detective Vakarian.” She nodded in greeting, before gesturing for him to continue, “Lead the way, Officer.”

 

As he led her through deeper into the cavernous fortress that was the heart of all C-Sec operations in the galaxy. Shepard couldn't help but peruse the local servers to find the young man's files, a smile creeping across her face as she finished, “Tell me Officer, are you the only human on duty? Or just the only one who has a clean record?”

 

“Ma'am?” His tone was laced with nervousness, which only caused her to laugh. “Don't worry about it Officer, that was a joke.” At that he gave off a forced laugh, and while she knew that she shouldn't enjoy his squirming, she did, her Father had always sworn that she had been a cat in a past life with how she liked to engage in idle torment on occasion.

 

He suddenly came to a halt, “Just inside this door, Ma'am.” She nodded in thanks, before slipping inside and finding herself caught in the gaze of two very unhappy Turians.

 

The room was one of C-Sec's many interrogation rooms, though a quick check on their network showed that the cameras were indeed deactivated. “Look I don't care who you are, but I am not going to botch an investigation on purpose just to let one of you Spectres walk.” Pallin had obviously been digging a trench though the floor next to the table, and she assumed that the young detective sitting down had done little to cool down the situation.

 

Vakarian pipped up before she could respond however, “And I know that I'm close, Varan, Shepard, whatever.” At that he smirked, actually smirked at her, and honestly she had a driving urge to add a Turian sized dent into the wall behind him.

 

But instead she attempted to center herself, trying to go through one of those blasted Asari meditation exercises Liara had taught her. And while that did nothing, the thought of Liara did calm her slightly. “Executor, Detective. You have my full assurances that if I had things my way then you would have my full cooperation, but this situation is out of all of our hands. Detective, you are to stop your investigation as ordered, and Executor, you will deliver an inconclusive report as ordered.”

 

Before either one of them could protest she held up her hands for silence, “Detective you will, unofficially of course, continue your investigation, and after we have gone through the farce that is the upcoming Council session you will have my full assistance in this matter. Then Executor you can have the privilege of stripping the status of the Galaxy's most infamous Spectre.” She glanced from one alien to the other, noticing with pleasure that they were both clearly thinking through what she had said, “Now? Do we all understand what is to happen here?”

 

Vakarian nodded first, followed by the Executor, at which point Shepard allowed herself a smile of relief, “Good, now when the human delegation shows up I need you two to put on a show of being at odds with one another. You two have quite a history on that front so I expect it will be easy to dredge up some old material to make it look good. We need the Alliance to believe that what comes after that Council session is all against the wishes of the Council, as they would never agree to such a thing just to help the Council keep the scales balanced.”

 

Pallin gave a hum of agreement, “I agree, you can hash out the rest of the details with Garrus here, it appears that I have some paperwork to do.” With that he left the room, though she could hear him muttering some choice words about Spectres under his breath as the door hissed shut behind him.

 

She glanced at the blue armored Turian, “So Detective, what do you need to know?”

 

Garrus for his part gestured at the seat across from him, which she sat down in for the sake of starting off on the right foot. “I only know that I am investigating Nihlus Kyrik's death, I know the manner in which he was killed, and the recorded statement of that dock worker, but what I don't have is hard evidence, hell I don't even know what types of rounds the Geth were firing.”

 

Shepard began to tap into her omni, pulling up what her suit had recorded of the battles. “Their shots from the few times I got pinged are lighter than our standard ammunition, but they are all enveloped in a type of advanced phasic field, so they are especially damaging to those in light or substandard armor as they bypass those barriers with minimal loss of energy.” She sighed, drumming her fingers on the table as she delved backwards in her memories, “Nihlus' K-Generator hadn't registered a single hit for the entire mission, which means that either there was a weapon in play that I never saw.”

 

Vakarian picked up on her trail or thought, “Or someone that Nihlus trusted got in close and personal, yes I can see where you are coming from. But I am going to need some compelling evidence that the Geth have no such weapon available. Otherwise we get into reasonable doubt territory.”

 

Shepard nodded, tapping her omni to forward a file to the Turian. “Jondum Bau forwarded me that name, she's a Quarian on her pilgrimage here on the Citadel, and apparently she was trained to be one of their Geth hunters. If someone on the Citadel knows the capabilities of the Geth, it would be her.”

 

Garrus frowned as he flicked through the files, “She's just a kid.” But that only elicited a shrug from the Spectre, “The Quarian's are running on fumes right now, everyone with the ability to work has to, and trust me that kid has a gift when it comes to ripping machines to pieces.”

 

Garrus cocked his head to the side, causing her to think of this crow that used to hang around her Grandfather's home on Earth. It was something about the eyes she figured, “You sound like you hold her in some esteem Spectre.”

 

She chuckled a little, “Are you so surprised that I find worth in a Quarian, or are you just amazed that a human can see worth in another species than their own?” At that he let out a small chuckle of his own, “I suppose a bit of both, and well we all have our biases. Though honestly when I heard that there was a human Spectre coming I figured that this would either be an oddly pleasant meeting, or the most aggravating moment of my life.”

 

A smile tugged her lips at that comment, “Well at least you're honest, I'll give you that.” She shifted in her seat a little before continuing, “And as for your earlier question, yes I respect Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. We both work in similar fields, though we seem to find ourselves on opposite sides of one issue in particular, so you could consider it a healthy respect for the opposition.”

 

Garrus of course had no idea what she was talking about, but then again few people knew about her dabbling in A.I research. Tess had simply been the latest in a series of experiments, though most of her work was in the hands of the Alliance, and hidden behind the haze that covered most of her academy memories.

 

Tali on the other hand was another technical prodigy, though whereas Shepard had always pushed for a peaceful coexistence. Tali searched for methods with which to decimate A.I's, the Geth in particular but Shepard knew that the Flottilla had loaned out her services to Noveria in exchange for aid at least once.

 

It was a lot to put on a girl so young, but she was the same age as Jacqueline, and well that girl had been to hell and back.

 

Shepard's omni pinged, indicating that if she wanted to keep to her timetable she needed to wrap this up. “That is all the time I can spare detective,” Her omni flared briefly as she transferred her info to Garrus' own device, “If you need anything further, or wish to update me on what you are doing you can use the contact info I've provided.” She slipped out of the chair with a surprising amount of grace for someone wearing armor that turned her into a walking tank, and made her way to the door, glancing over her shoulder she called back to the Turian, “Good hunting, Detective.”

 

His eyes focuses on her, though a grin was etched on his face, one that she didn't find so annoying this time around, “To you as well, Spectre.”

 

S&S

 

Aria T'Loak, self-crowned Queen of Omega was annoyed. It had nothing to do with those who lived in her domain, instead the source of this problem stemmed from her own house, and the inability of those she had sired to fully comprehend that once they left her shore's, she truly did not give a fuck what kind of trouble they found themselves in.

 

And so the human refuse grovelling at her feet, beseeching for her aid on behalf of her idiot of a daughter, was going to be how she dealt with these feelings.

 

Her body flared, her aura literally overshadowing the lights of the dance floor below, turning the revelers below into a mob cowering in the shadow of their Queen's power. She reached a clawed hand forward, sending the useless monkey flying into the bulkhead behind reception area, and then, then she really applied some pressure.

 

The metal buckled and warped under the strain of her power, but her station was strong, but the human was not. And as his bones were crushed to paste, his flesh torn asunder, and his blood used to put a new coat of paint on her walls, she smiled.

 

There, no more annoyance.

 

Liselle however hovered nearby, trying to get her attention ineffectually. The Asari was her youngest child, and the only one yet to try to brave the currents on her own, but she will, Aria will see to that personally in time, but not yet.

 

Aria had rose to power from nothing, not a descendant of some ancient lineage, no she was just offspring of two people who were so unimportant that there were times that even she could no longer remember their names. First she had clawed her way into the ranks of the commando's, but eventually she realized how much she despised being under another being's thumb, and so she became just another of any number of mercenaries flitting about the systems.

 

But she had pulled herself up from that lowly station, taken this kingdom for herself, and if those bitches she called her children thought she was just going to let them hand over her crown they had another thing coming.

 

Omega, had a price, and that price was blood. And she will be damned to the abyss if any of her offspring thought that they could avoid paying that price.

 

So it had been no surprise when she found out that Rila had left Omega, though the fact that the girl had tried to set up operations on Earth was surprising. At least it showed that the girl could see a new market opening up, but she had missed one crucial factor.

 

Earth was not Omega, one could not just spill blood and expect to get what one wanted, especially when your targets were spaceports, given that the Alliance held jurisdiction over all exit and entry points on the human's homeworld. Though Rila should really take it as a compliment that they had sent the Butcher after her, Maximilian so rarely was allowed to come out and play, though with his Daughter enlisting in the service soon perhaps he would be let off his leash again.

 

That was a battle she longed for, to go toe to toe with an opponent that she had respect, but no admiration for. A chance to let loose, and not simply punish these worthless fools that came before her.

 

A small cough brings her attention back to Liselle, who seemed to have realized how deep in thought her Mother was. Sensing more than seeing that her Queen's gaze was fixed upon her the Maiden quickly bowed her head, “We have a message coming in from the Citadel, it's Spectre Varan, I-I mean Spectre Shepard.” Aria quirked her brow at that, the newly revealed human Spectre contacting her, a smirk pulled across her lips, a husky whisper escaping her, “How exciting.”

 

She slid off of the couch, glancing at her youngest, “I'll recieve it in my quarters, go with Bray and do a sweep of Eclipse territory, down by the Batarian enclave, they were light this month.” That was it, no love, no affection, just the Queen and another of her soldiers.

 

As she made her way to her quarters she had to admit that she held some measure of affection for her Daughter's, but the only one she would ever reveal it to was the one who finally buried the knife into her chest, and twisted it a few times for good measure, then she would make sure they knew how proud she was.

 

She ghosted through her opulent quarters, such trappings were necessary for her position, but honestly the constant extravagance grated on her from time to time. She had never realized how freeing a lack of material wealth was until she was burdened by it, but as she let out a moan of pleasure as she sank into her desk chair she admitted that it did have some perks.

 

Reaching forward she tapped the haptic interface in front of her, and was rewarded by a rather striking human woman, one whose face showed strength, but still remained feminine enough that she fell into line with Aria's tastes.

 

Oh yes, she would like to have this little thing in her bed. She arced forward, ensuring that Shepard's screen was getting a full view of the goods, “Hello, Spectre. To what do I owe this, pleasure?” She dragged out the last sentence, though she frowned a little when she saw no real reaction from the human.

 

Instead she had the distinct feeling that she was being picked apart, the human's gaze, off putting as it was thanks to that abomination of a left eye, was eerily similar to her own. The human gave a small smile, one that screamed she was in on the joke too, inclining her head briefly, “Majesty.”

 

Aria was honestly a little surprised by the statement, but she knew the human was simply trying to get into her good graces, “Let's avoid pointless flattery, what do you want of Omega, Spectre?”

 

“I need to know if you have four unaccounted for G86's.” Aria frowned, those weapons were one of her most effective demonstrations of what happened if someone got out of line, and by the phrasing of the question she had to assume the Spectre had found not just one, but four of them and only wanted confirmation that they were indeed hers.

 

“And why would I do such a thing, to even investigate would be to show that I am unaware of something that happened in my domain.”

 

The human just threw her head back, and the little wretch started to laugh, but it ended almost as fast as it had started, her head snapping back to fix its gaze on Aria, “Because you are Omega, and if you don't get me some evidence that those nukes came from a source other than your own, I don't think even the Council could stop the Alliance from going after you. We humans get a bit, tetchy, when it comes to colonies almost getting nuked.”

 

Aria's glare had turned halfway into a smolder, she really could enjoy this human, and she didn't plan to come out of this situation without anything to show for it, “Alright, Spectre. On one condition.” Her lips quirked into a predatory smirk at the nod from the human to continue, “I get a favor, from you. After all, this is rather magnanimous on my part so far.” She stood up, leaning over her desk and towards the screen, “So, Spectre? What do you say?”

 

Shepard this time had the good sense to become uncomfortable, though it was obvious she had no idea if she found the expression on Aria's face, or her tits, to be the more distracting aspect of the Queen.

 

But the blonde's expression hardened, and it just made Aria all the more interested, this one had so much potential, and as she human's voiced the words Aria already knew were coming she only leaned in further,“You have a deal.”

 

“I'll be in touch, Shepard.” She dragged the Spectre's name across her tongue, enjoying the taste of it.

 

With that the Spectre ended the call, and Aria simply leaned back into her seat, a wide smile on her face.

 

While halfway across the galaxy a very flustered blonde was glaring at the screen in front of her, a rare example of a human curse erupted from her lips, “Fucking Asari.”

 

S&S

 

“Is she awake yet?” The words are muffled, so she either has something over her heard or her hearing has yet to recover from that charge.

 

“Well go and check.” The voices are human, male judging by the sound though her compromised hearing could mean it is simply an extremely deep voiced female. She can feel vibrations through her feet, someone is approaching her, and so she plays along.

 

A man bends down in front of her, trying to get a look at her face, not the man she fought, no the Butcher would not make such a mistake. And so she slams down her skull on top of his, the biotic reinforcement causes the man's neck to snap, his lifeless body slumping down in front of her.

 

Rila knows that this isn't going to help her escape, but she will not die cowering in some room, she will keep killing them until they are forced to do likewise. She hears a shout of rage, and feels something impact against the back of her head, and the abyss reaches for her again.

 

The next time she wakes she sees him, the Butcher. And while he appears to take no notice of her awakening she knows that he will see through any attempt of deception on her part. So she raises her head, and prepares to face her fate like she was taught to, but all thoughts of an honorable end go out the window when she feels an unknown weight around her limbs, realizing that she is strapped down even tighter than before. Something they would not have bothered to do had they simply meant to kill her.

 

“Do you know what the worst part of getting caught is?” The Butcher's voice startles her, and it takes her a few moments to realize that as she is the only other soul in the room, he must be speaking to her. But as she attempts to speak she discovers her mouth, and throat are too dry to do even that simple action.

 

The silver haired human notices this though, and holds forward a small cup in his hand, tilting forward a small amount into her waiting mouth, just enough to let her speak, just enough to make her want more. So, she plays along, “No, I don't.”

 

He smirks, “Yes my dear, you do,” he stands up, pacing the small room, causing his voice to come from angles she doesn't expect, “It's the fact that you were denied your glorious death, one last fuck you, to all those you had stood against, Authority, Parents, common sense, none of that matters now. Now all you have left is the knowledge, the knowledge that you now lie at the mercy of those you would never have shown mercy to yourself.” He paused, “Of course, I may simply be projecting on to you. Perhaps you were perfectly reasonable, aside for the fact you had the gall to try and wrest control of a spaceport on Earth, I mean points for sheer moxie.” He chuckled a little at that, before turning to her, a coldness in his stare that she had seen in only the most hardened of her Mother's people, “But the points don't matter in this game, child.”

 

He walked over to a nearby door, banging on it three times, and as the door opened it revealed a thin wiry human carrying a briefcase. The butcher slipped out of the room for a second only to return with a table, and it was on this table that the aforementioned briefcase came to rest.

 

“This man, my dear, is Mr. Fitsh. He holds several degrees in xenobiology, one in xenopsychology, and an extremely perverse enjoyment in the pain of others. In other words, he and you are about to become very well acquainted, unless you would prefer to start talking before he is done unpacking his things.”

 

Fitsh for his part simply popped the latches on the case, and slowly but surely began to take out the implements of his trade, but he sparred not even a single glance for the other two individuals in the room so engrossed in his work was he, and Rila would always believe that it was that single fact that broke her.

 

Her voice at that moment made her feel every bit the 135 years that she was, nothing more than a child playing at being a grownup, “You haven't even asked me any questions!”

 

The Butcher simply glanced at his human companion, mockery dripping from his tone, “My god Fitsh, she's right I do believe I forgot to ask her any questions.” Fitsh at that point pulled out a small vial that he passed to the Butcher, and as the glass was illuminated during the hand off she recognized it as an extract from some rare lower ocean dweller on Thessia, almost all Asari had a severe allergic reaction to the creature, a natural defense mechanism on its part.

 

The Butcher handed the vial back to the spindly man with a grin, “You're right, Fitsh. There is no way that we could be certain that she was telling the truth, as I'm certain that one of T'Loak's spawn would have been trained to withstand such things.” Fitsh at that point stirred, shooting a pointed glare at the massive human, Kressner just smiled at the man, “I never said you couldn't do your work, just that I don't expect we will get much out of her of use.” Fitsh seemingly mollified returned to his preparations, while the Butcher literally began to whistle a little tune.

 

“Just ask me a question! Anything, I'll answer it I swear!” Kressner glanced at Fitsh, who simply moved one of his tools to be slightly more in line with its brethren, “Fitsh says he doesn't believe you.”

 

“Well then that mute bastard is full of shit, just fucking ask me something!” At that point she was trembling, she wasn't afraid of death, but no one deserved to go out a plaything to some monster.

 

“Why were you on Earth?” She blinked several times before realizing she had been given an actual questions, “I-I was trying to prove myself to Mother, s-she has no intention of letting any of her children simply take over, we have to earn it.” Her voice had strengthened as she had spoken, and somewhere she had the fools hope that she may get out of this alive yet.

 

“Your name?”

 

“Rila! Just Rila, she never told me who my sire was, and she would never accept me as her Daughter.” Kressner hummed at that, though he leaned a little over to peek into Fitsh's case, pointing at something out of her line of sight, “What about that one?” Fitsh simply shook his head in the negative, causing the big man to shrug, “Fine, you are the expert after all.'

 

Glancing back at her he smiled, “So, where were we? Ah, yes, I need the locations, names, and timetables for all of your off world gang members. Just the ones in Alliance space, C-Sec can do their own dirty work.”

 

And so she began to rattle off whatever she could remember, and when she could no longer remember, she rambled, about anything and everything she thought could be helpful. Eventually she could take no more, and she broke down into tears, sobs wracking her body.

 

She wasn't even aware that the two men had left while she had broken down, and as she finally regained her composure she realized that sitting across from her was a blonde woman in an Alliance uniform. “Wh-who are you?”

 

The woman gave her a small smile, “I'm Kahlee Sanders, I doubt you will have heard of me but I run the Alliance's Ascension program, you may have heard of it.” At the Asari's nod Kahlee continued, “Well you see, you have us in a bit of a bind, you are a foreign national on Alliance soil, legally you could just disappear and never be seen again without a fuss ever being raised. But I think that is a waste of a perfectly good opportunity.”

 

“Opportunity?” Kahlee nodded at the question, “Yes, opportunity. You are obviously a gifted biotic, and I unfortunately, am stuck dealing with the fallout of both the Jump Zero fiasco, and the fact that I know I have Cerberus members hidden in my staff. So I need an outside party, and if they aren't in the position to refuse, all the better.”

 

Rila blinked a few times, confusion evident on her features, “Are you offering me a job?” Kahlee just laughed at that, “Heaven's no, think of it as you working off your sentence. But in a way that is actually beneficial, and who knows maybe you will find some measure of satisfaction in a job that doesn't involve taking from others.”

 

“You left me in a room with those monsters, threaten to torture me, and now you expect me to do tricks for you simply to save myself?!” She tried to surge against the bonds, but Sanders' gaze remained steady. “Yes, we left you in here with a monster, but Kressner is our monster, and the man has developed a soft spot for the young and stupid since his own Daughter hit her teens. And as for Gary, well the man is a hell of a method actor, but I doubt that he could have actually tortured you, he is rather squeamish around blood.”

 

“Gary?” Kahlee just laughed a little at the statement, “Yes, not as terrifying as 'Mr. Fitsh' is it?”

 

Kahlee simply stood up after that, tapping on the door which slid open to permit her to exit, she paused in the doorway glancing back inside, “Think on that offer, Rila. I promise you there is nothing better coming.” And as the door slid shut behind her Rila slumped in her chair, because she knew that the blonde human had been telling the truth.

 

S&S

 

“Not that one, it looks too much like your old Alliance uniform.” Eva scowled at Miranda's face on the monitor, “You know that I can't play dress up all fucking day Miri, and for some stupid reason I thought you would be better at this,” though she followed this up by muttering to herself, “or at least faster.”

 

The raven haired woman just smirked, “Maybe if someone owned something more than armor and tanktops we wouldn't be in this situation now would we.” The statuesque woman leaned back in her seat, tapping the datapad in her hands on the edge of the desk, “Why not just go in a suit, I know you have one shoved in the back somewhere because Mother mentioned it, it's formal and is human, without being well, too human.” Miranda shook her head slightly at the ridiculousness of the sentence she had just uttered.

 

Shepard disappeared off screen for a few moments, and she could hear thuds as the woman tossed something across the room that was hindering her path, and as a shoe box sailed across the screen Miranda's eyes lit up, “And remember to wear something with a heel, it wouldn't do to appear entirely unfeminine, not much perhaps only an inch.”

 

Eva's reply was muffled but it sounded distinctly like, 'Yes, Mom.'

 

That caused Miranda to burst out laughing, “Just be glad she isn't here, she thought that you should have gone full Dress Uniform, but I think she just wanted to watch Tevos squirm.”

 

Shepard finally appeared back on screen, wearing a black tailored suit that had been sitting in her closet for years. It had been a gift she believed, but for the life of her she couldn't remember who had given it to her. Though as she tried to fix the tie in the reflection of the monitor she scowled, “I hate this shit, tell me again why I can't just wear my armor?”

 

Miranda grinned at her adoptive sibling, “Because that armor is inherently a part of your Varan persona at the moment, and well you've been dead for five years Eva, you are going to have to remind people that you are still, in fact human. But you of course can't be too human, otherwise your bosses are going to be rather unhappy with you,” she reached over and took a sip from the mug in front of her, enjoying the taste of cocoa on her tongue, “You have no one to blame but yourself for this mess, too stubborn for your own good.”

 

Eva nodded slightly to herself as she finally straightened out the tie, “Yes, well, we all can't be terrorists now can we.” She disappeared momentarily as she grabbed something off the floor, before making quite the production of herself as she attempted to pull on her heels in the least ladylike manner possible. Having accomplished that she groaned as she stretched her arms about, making sure that her mobility wasn't hindered that much by the suit.

 

“Speaking of terrorists, any word on Izon's progress investigating Cerberus?” Enann Izon, was a fellow Spectre, and the Salarian who had been assigned to investigate Miranda's former employer, following Shepard's discovery that Cerberus was mobilizing for something big.

 

Miranda for her part was rather ambivalent when it came to her feelings towards Cerberus, she had left because Hannah had left, not for any real moral reasons. And so she found herself shrugging a little at Eva's question, “He's made some noise here and there, but he's going to need more than just a few weeks before he starts showing results. Hell, Eva. It took me months to get you that lead that led us to Tarith, and even if he did find anything I think you have your hands full as it is.”

 

Eva grumbled something that must have been agreement, before her eyes lit up and she began to curse, rushing around the room. “Eva? What the hell is wrong?”

 

Eva whiled by the screen, grabbing her pistol off the table, along with a pair of gloves.“Udina just fucking jumped the gun!” She blurred by again, going in the other direction, “Bye, Miri!” Though she was already out the door before a response could come. Her own cybernetics crackling as Jondum's voice materialized in her ear, “I'm swinging down by your landing pad, Shepard. I'd advise you hurry, as if you don't make an appearance this will get substantially more messy.”

 

She easily spotted Bau's vehicle, he had dragged the thing all the way from Sur'Kesh afterall, the skycar in his possession was the equivalent to an antique roadster had been on Earth a century prior. And she didn't fail the notice his scowl as she jumped inside, “Mind the upholstery, Shepard.” Though a smile crossed his face as he could see her hands tighten on the edges of the seat as he shot through traffic, ducking and weaving like a lunatic.

 

“Really should get out more often, reminds me of when I was young,” he flashed her a grin, “How a decade flies by.” He banked sharply as he avoided another skycar that shared his opinion on air traffic laws, before he slid forward the throttle sending them hurtling towards the needle like Citadel Tower, before pulling back to put them into a steep climb as neared the structure, hugging the surface of the tower as they ascended to the upper levels.

 

Finally though he sent them into a spin, just to lazily hover in front of one of the numerous private bays built into the tower proper, Shepard's eyes were wide as saucers as she tried to keep her breathing under control, “Never again, Bau. Never, fucking, again.” She growled at him as she manged to stumble out of the vehicle, Bau calling out after her, “So, you won't be needing a lift back?”

 

“Fuck you, Bau.”

 

At that he simply shrugged, before lifting the vehicles off and disappearing among the clusters of other vehicles that moved through the Citadel skyways.

 

Shepard for her part checked her hair, making sure that it hadn't come out of the loose bun she had pulled it into, before hitting the door control to give her access inside.

 

“Spectre Shepard!” Evalyn glanced up to see a Turian aide rushing to her, “Follow me this way, Spectre. You'll be needed very shortly and the Council didn't want you getting lost down here in this maze.” Shepard merely nodded, though her paranoia caused her to check the man's files against the Spectre office's records, one could never be too careful.

 

As she stepped on to the open platform opposite of a projection of Saren she could hear Udina's voice below, “An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood.” Now was as good a time as any she supposed to make her entrance.

 

Her voice projected across the room as she entered, “An eyewitness who is also a known smuggler, and whose actions likely attributed to the loss of several of your marines. It does not seem too fetched that he made the whole thing up in an attempt to stop me from executing him on the spot.”

 

Saren's projection glanced towards her, “Ah, Shepard. So good to see the one human who possesses common sense.” At that he glanced back towards the human's clustered on the lower platform, “Nihlus was my protege, and a friend, it grieves me that I could even be considered a suspect in his death.” Shepard focused on those meditation exercises, exploding at the Turian now would only needlessly complicate matters.

 

“That just let you catch him off guard!” Anderson's form approached the platform to join Udina and Alenko, why the fuck was David here? Udina had to know of the Captain's history with the Turian, unless, unless the Ambassador had figured out the play for himself and had decided to push matters along.

 

“Captain Anderson,” Saren wasn't even bothering to hide his gloating tone, “It seems that you are always involved when I am being falsely accused. At least your own protege managed to make something of themselves, instead of blaming others for their own failings.”

 

Anderson just glowered at the projection, while Tevos turned towards Evalyn, “Spectre Shepard, did you encounter any evidence other than what has been presented that would link Saren to Nihlus' death?”

 

“No, Councilor. Nihlus had decided to act as our lead scout, and so he entered the spaceport while we engaged with ground forces near the discovery sight of the beacon. And so I was not present when he was murdered, all that I can say for certain was that it was a single shot to the back of the head that was the cause. Though whether that was due to proximity, or a new type of ammunition available only to the Geth I can not be certain.”

 

“Thank you, Spectre.”

 

Saren smirked, “Yes, thank you, Shepard. It is always refreshing to see a member of your race actually capable of overcoming their own shortcomings, and instead give their loyalty to something far more deserving.”

 

Tevos shot a look at the Turian that silenced him, but before Tevos could say anything Udina thundered from the platform, “You can't just whitewash this behind Spectre privilege Councilor. I have eight hundred dead souls that need to be answered for.”

 

Valern tapped the console in front of him impatiently, “Yet you have presented no evidence that Saren is indeed answerable for this crime. We have already agreed to investigate the Geth, we will not sacrifice one of our agents simply because you were attacked in an area that is known to be rife with lawlessness.”

 

Tevos glanced down at the two human's on the platform below, “Do either of you have any other evidence to add?” When neither of them said anything Tevos let out a deep breath, glancing at Sparatus who gave a pronounced shake of his head.

 

Nodding at the Turian, Tevos began to speak, “The Council has found no evidence presented during this session to showcase a connection between Saren, and the Geth attack on Eden Prime. As such Ambassador, your petition to have his Spectre status stripped has been denied.”

 

Saren's hologram smirked, stating “I'm glad to see justice was served,” before it blinked out of existence.

 

The Turian's exit seemed to signal the end of the meeting, as the bureaucrats who hung around the tower went back to the loitering that took consisted of the rest of their responsibilities.

 

Udina just stood alone on the platform for a few moments, and Eva wasn't sure if he was either one of the best politicians she had ever met, or the worst.

 

But her thoughts were interrupted as a message popped up on her HUD.

 

'Shepard, what the fuck was that?'

 

She sighed, having hoped that Ashley wouldn't be present for that fiasco.

 

'Ash, I told you that you would have to trust me. Are you guys heading back to the embassy?'

 

If Ashley didn't come through, then this plan would be a lot messier, still doable but it wouldn't send as clear a message as she was hoping to send. So while she waited for a reply she began to make her way to the public lifts that would let her down into the Presidium Commons, a walk could do her good, and well, it was the first time she had gotten to walk around in public for years.

 

Her trip down from the tower's top floor down to the surface below was absent of any real stimuli, the view while nice was unappealing to her, and Ash's continued lack of communication was beginning to grate on her.

 

As she stepped out into the commons she debated on contacting the brunette again, but found her attention being dragged to an altercation between a Turian C-Sec officer, and a Hanar.

 

“Look you damn, Jelly. I don't care about your 'Enkindlers.' If you don't have an evangelical permit you can't be here!”

 

She groaned, this was so far below her pay grade it wasn't funny, but from the sound of things this was just one arrest away from becoming a very aggravating Council session. So she found herself walking up to the pair, “What seems to be the problem here, Officer.”

 

“Look, Human. This is none of your business.” He didn't even glance at her, so when all of a sudden his omni flashed with her Spectre authorization he paused, a muttered “shit,” escaping his mouth.

 

As he turned to warily regard her, she smiled at him. “Now, Officer. What seems to be the problem?”

 

He jerked a talon towards the Hanar who was silently observing them, “This Hanar, Ma'am. He's preaching without a permit, and refuses to pay for one. Claims that it is his right to spread the word of the Enkindlers, or some other nonsense.”

 

She pinched the bridge of her nose with her left hand, “Look just give me a minute, and try not to escalate this situation any further.” She walked a few steps away, tapping into the Spectre offices communications server, “Get me the Hanar embassy.”

 

It took only a few moments for a voice that obviously belonged to a drell to come in over her cybernetics, “Yes, Spectre Shepard. What can we do for you today?”

 

She smiled a little, word of her had certainly spread fast, “Yes, I have one of your citizens outside of the entrance to the Citadel Tower. They are preaching without a permit, and I think it would be best if we could avoid a pointless arrest. If you guys could just cover the cost of the permit I can make sure that the Officer involved will let it slide.”

 

She could hear the sound of something being done on the other side of the line, but the voice soon returned, “We've forwarded the credits to your Omni, and thank you for this Spectre, some of our citizens have trouble adjusting to life outside of the Primacy.”

 

“It's no problem at all.” With that she cut the line, and headed back to the pair, the Turian glaring at the Hanar as it once again tried to explain the truth of the Enkindlers. “I just spoke to the embassy, they forwarded these credits,” her omni flared briefly as she transferred them, “To cover the cost of the permit.”

 

“Thank the spirits for that.” The Turian visibly relaxed, obviously having not been looking forward to arresting the Hanar. “And thank you, Spectre.”

 

She nodded to him, before glancing at the Hanar, “The permit covers area's that are not high traffic, so make sure that you don't preach in any of the terminals, or stairways, alright?”

 

“That is perfectly acceptable, this one would like to apologize for any trouble it may have caused the Spectre.” She smirked a little at that, but just shook her head. Her reply lost as a new message popped up on her HUD.

 

'Just left a skycar next to the Embassy's, heading in now.'

 

“Shit!” She took off at a jog, unsure of how long she would have until Udina decided to send them off to do something stupid like talk to Harkin.

 

As she skidded into the Embassy plaza the Asari at the desk glanced up at her, “Ma'am! You need authorization to enter the Embassy's!” But she kept running, just yelling at the shrinking form of the Asari, “Spectre!”

 

She hacked the door's control with ease, and swiftly walked into a room that surprisingly held only two figures. One of course was Ashley who was glancing down at her feet from her position by the desk, “Sorry, Shepard. He said he wanted to speak with you alone first.” While the other being referred to was of course Udina, who was seated at said desk.

 

“Thank you, Chief. Give us the room if you will.” Ashley nodded, and as she walked by Shepard shot her a small smile, just to show no hard feelings. “Take a seat, Shepard, or you can loom if you prefer.” She smirked at his attitude, the man knew that he had been played, and she could respect his attempts to see the other side's cards. “A seat sounds lovely, Ambassador.” And honestly the chair was quite nice.

 

“Tell me, Shepard. How long did they give you to collect some solid evidence, and don't bother trying to deny it. I've been doing this for long enough to know when someone of your character gives a lie of omission it is for a larger purpose.”

 

“Or maybe I'm not quite the white knight that people take me for, Spectres are known for moral flexibility after all.” Udina gave a small nod of his head, but she knew that he didn't believe her, hell she didn't believe her.

 

“Three days, though I've already mobilized Detective Vakarian to start digging through leads in regards to an expert on the Geth. And I got in contact with Aria for confirmation of where those G86's came from.” Udina smiled at that, “Lieutenant Alenko was sent down to try to find Harkin, and I believe Captain Anderson suggested we talk to Barla Von, so between the three of them, and if Aria pulls through, we at least have the beginning of a plan.”

 

Shepard laughed at that, “What we have is shit, but Tevos is on our side in this instance, so that is something at least.” Udina actually seemed pleased by that piece of news, “Interesting, but somewhat irrelevant if we can't find any evidence. Can I assume you plan on assisting us directly?” His gaze was fixed on her synthetic eye, something that she found everyone who met her prior to the loss of the original did. “Yes, you can expect my direct assistance.”

 

“Excellent, I assume that you won't object to having Chief Williams accompany you?” At the shake of her head he nodded, “It's not that we don't think you trustworthy, but we would prefer an official Alliance presence at all times.”

 

“I understand, Ambassador. I'll check in with Barla Von, we have business dealings together, in both of his lines of work.”

 

Udina waved a dismissive hand at her, “Then I expect you to get to it, now if you don't mind I need to try to convince Parliament to not declare war on the Geth.”

 

S&S

 

“Sir, we have the preliminary reports on the Eden Prime incident, would you like me to leave them here with you?”

 

“That won't be necessary, Miss Chambers. I'm already aware of most of what was in there, so I'll simply ask you the specifics that I require, I assume you did read them?” The Illusive Man's chair faced away from her, revealing only the top of his head and the plume of smoke that trailed after his cigarette.

 

“Yes of course, fire way I suppose.” She cringed at her tone, with how erratic her employer had been acting recently it was perhaps not the wisest choice of words. Jack however took no notice, “How was it that the Geth evaded at least three Council patrol paths?”

 

“From what the report shows the other two patrols were simply in the wrong place to spot the force, while it seems the third was held up when a relay they had to use went into an unexpected maintenance cycle.” Harper frowned at that, the beacons were tremendous pieces of technology, but their cycles were well known, and there should never be anything unexpected when it came to the devices that passively enabled the galaxy to function.

 

“Has anyone investigated as to whether the beacon had been tampered with?” At Kelly's negative reaction he took a drag from the cigarette in his hands. Damn the Council and their foolish notion that they were indeed the pinnacle of civilization, it was that very blind arrogance that he was trying to save his own species from, not that he ever expected anyone to thank him for his actions.

 

“Very well, lets shelve that discussion for later. The Geth, 'mothership,' what do we know about it?” Kelly shifted a little at that, which normally indicated she had something she wanted to add but was wary of striking her neck out to do so. “The Council, and the Alliance, have both come to the conclusion that it is some type of Geth, super-dreadnought. Citing that it's design is similar to all of the recovered Geth weaponry.”

 

“You disagree though.” The redhead blinked several times before nodding, “A few of our engineers have seen Geth weapons before, and they say that they look nothing like this. For the most part they resemble older Quarian weapons, just like how their combat forms are still based off of Quarian physiological structures.”

 

“So you believe that these weapons are what?”

 

She approached, tapping the datapad in front of her, bringing up a side by side of the weapons and the shot of the mothership. “I think that they are based off of the ship, that perhaps it isn't a Geth construct at all.”

 

The Illusive Man only nodded, “I agree with your conclusions, Miss Chambers. That is why we are accelerating our work. Tell 32 that I want her trainees ready to be deployed within days, this is the first shot in a war that will determine Humanities survival.”

 

“O-of course, sir.” As she hurried off, he found himself starring into the void, and he had to admit that the ship possessed an uncanny similarity to the device he had encountered on Shanxi all those years ago.

 

But that wasn't what worried him, what worried him was that Saren was apparently involved with that ship, the very thing the Turian had warned him of years earlier. Had that been the Spectres last act before he lost his mind to the machine? Just like what had happened to Desolas during the First Contact War. Or was it all part of a plot to get Jack to act in accordance to a plan he was unaware of, but even if he was being played, Cerberus would have the last laugh.

 

Humanity was not weak, and he would see it made stronger, until finally in the end nothing would be able to threaten his species.

 

And he would see it done, even if he had to cross every line he had sworn never to cross. If the price of survival was to lose one's humanity, then he would see to it that only Cerberus would have to pay the price.

 

S&S

 

“Shepard I really am sorry.” Eva groaned, Ash's constant apologizing was beginning to grate on her nerves, “I swear, Ashley. If you say that you are sorry one more time, I am going to toss you into that lake.”

 

Ash glanced at the water that sat on the other side of the barricade, “You wouldn't.”

 

Which only caused Shepard to smirk as she flared her biotics, “Just try me, come on, say you're sorry.”

 

Ashley laughed nervously, backing up a few steps, “I think I'm good, yep, my conscience is now clean, lets just keep on going with the mission now, please?” Shepard let her biotics dissipate, and began to walk down the path towards Barla Von's office, only to find herself stopped by a face she wished was unfamiliar.

 

“Spectre Shepard, how nice to see you. Would you mind giving me just a few moments of your time.” Shepard glared at the middle-aged woman before her, “What do you want Helena?”

 

“I simply was curious if a Spectre was interested in taking out some pirates who have been causing havoc out in the Traverse. And I'm certain that it would look good for the people back home, don't you think.” Ashley simply seemed confused by the exchange, so Shepard turned to her, “Ashley this is, Helena Blake. The minority partner in a triumvirate of pirate scum who control a few sectors, she has it in her head that she can use me to take over the organization, isn't that right Helena?”

 

Blake for her part had obviously not been expecting her plan to go this awry, “I simply wanted to help Spectre, and if I was to gain control I would be certain to ensure that we operated to your tastes.” At Shepard's continued glare she began to panic, “And 5% off the top of course, for services rendered during this transitional phase.”

 

Ashley glanced wide eyes at Shepard, and was relived when he friend shook her head no. “I don't want money Blake, what I will want is information, if I do this whatever moves through your sectors I want to know about. I don't care if it is civilian, military, or a fucking rogue asteroid, you let me know.”

 

Blake for her part took a few seconds to realize what was said, “So you agree?” At which point Shepard sighed, “Yes, but understand this isn't real high on my fucking to do list. So don't expect this to happen anytime soon.” Helena though simply smiled, “I'm a patient woman, Spectre.”

 

“I'm sure you are. Come on, Ash.” At that she took off, Ashley trailing behind her lost in thought. “You're wondering why I didn't just kill her there aren't you?” Ashley glanced at her, and she nodded, which caused a soft sigh to escape Shepard's lips, “Helena is a minor evil, she keeps her sector running, and prefers repeat customers as opposed to just killing someone and taking their things. And if I were to kill her then that all goes away, and her two partners go to war in an effort to gain her territory.”

 

She paused to glance out across the lake at the Citadel Tower, “It can be hard to remember here that the galaxy is a big, empty place. And lawlessness abides in that void, so if some form of order can be established, even if it is by those who are technically breaking it, isn't that preferable?” Shepard laughed a little at herself, “If you don't really agree with me that is okay, Ash. I've been mired in gray for so long that sometimes I forget what white and black are.”

 

Ash gave her friend a small shove with her shoulder, “I might not agree with it, but I've still got your back.”

 

“Thanks, Ash. Now, lets go and have a chat with a Volus.”

 

Though before either of them could activate the door to the office it opened up on its own volition, and out stepped a volus wearing what appeared to be a cowboy hat. “Ah, Spectre. It is, good to see you, again.” As Shepard took a step back to see under the brim of the hat she smirked, “Solan? What are you doing on the Citadel?”

 

The Volus in question was one of the foremost mercenaries in Council space, and given that he likely hadn't been in Von's office for a social call likely one of the richest. Solan just gave a small shrug, “Grew, tired of, Irune. Not enough, pleasant company or, explosions.” She chuckled at that, the Volus was known for his womanizing, and his tendency to level entire blocks using his piloted battle suit.

 

“Well, I'm sorry to cut this reunion shot, but I actually have pressing business with Von as well.” The volus nodded, and actually tipped his hat to the two human women, “Of, course Earth-clan. I wish you good, fortune.”

 

She smiled at the statement, and called out to his departing form, “To you as well.” Ashley though for her part was still kind of stunned, “Did that Volus just tip a cowboy hat at me?”

 

“Multiculturalism, you'll get used to it.” Ashley though just raised her brows at that, “I don't think anyone can be prepared for that, Shepard.” Forcing Shepard to stifle a giggle.

 

“Fair point, now let's go and talk to Von. I promise he doesn't wear a hat.”

 

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an admission for all of you, that first meeting with the Council is one of my most hated scenes in all of video games. It's illogical, poorly paced, and gives you the illusion of choice (seriously ME 1's three options but the same response ticks me off). So hopefully this one wasn't the first two, because I already stripped the illusion of choice from Eva.
> 
> And I have no freaking clue where that Aria segment came from, I was just typing away and suddenly I realized that she had taken over a fifth of the chapter.
> 
> To understand Solan's character in a nutshell watch the music video for this character theme, and just imagine a Volus.


	4. Luck is for the lonely

S&S

" _Good evening, Humanity. This is Daniel Morales and you are watching our in-depth analysis on the resurrection of Evalyn Shepard."_

_The man on the screen shuffled the datapads on his desk, before glancing back to the camera, "As our viewers are no doubt aware, Evalyn Shepard, the sole heir of the Shepard legacy, has been revealed recently to still be among the living, after erroneously being reported dead by Citadel authorities nearly five years ago following an attack on the exploratory vessel she was employed on. And while C-Sec has not responded to our requests for a statement, Admiral Hackett of the Systems Alliance had this to say."_

_Hackett's voice began to play, a stock photo of him projected on screen for the viewers, "Evalyn Shepard's position as a Spectre was always known by the inner circles of the SA's military, the Council felt that if we wanted a Spectre then we would need to prove that one of our numbers was capable of the job, without the politics involved. That she agreed, knowing that if things had gone wrong we would never be able to admit the truth, is the greatest kind of courage I know."_

_As the clip ended the camera refocused on the man behind the desk, "Of course we all know that while operating under the alias Mirix Varan, Evalyn Shepard has had a very varied, but successful career. But this seems to ignore the most pressing issue, which is that it is amazing that this, to use the Admiral's words, courageous young woman is even functional. Here with more on that is, Doctor Kenneth Grant. Author of 'Survivor or Sociopath? An in depth analysis of Eva Shepard.'"_

_The camera panned out to showcase an elderly Caucasian male with thinning grey hair, though he was dressed more like he was going down to a pub than being interviewed on ANN, other than that his most striking features was that he as wearing a pair of glasses, as the need for such devices were all but eliminated thanks to in-utero treatments to correct vision problems._

" _Now, Doctor, first things first, some have claimed that you publishing this book so soon after the revelation of Evalyn Shepard's survival is predatory behavior on your part. What is your response to your accusers?"_

_The Doctor for his part merely laughed, "I'd say that they were false, I actually finished that book around," he paused as he pondered the actual date, "I believe it was six months after Akuze, but by the time the publisher's felt a respectful amount of time had passed Eva herself had, seemingly, passed away. So we all agreed that it would be for the best if we just forgot about it all together." He adjusted his glasses briefly, the overhead lights briefly obscuring his eyes as the lenses caught the light, "My publisher actually contacted me the moment the news broke, indeed they woke me up in the middle of the night in their haste to contact me, and yes I suppose it might be seen as predatory to some, but I take pride in my work, and I believe that people need to understand more about their heroes."_

_After a brief moment he sighed, "I have nothing but sympathy for what the girl has suffered through, witnessing the death of her Father, the loss of her entire unit on Akuze."_

_Daniel leaned on his desk bringing the camera's focus on to him, "Not to mention the terrorist attack at her graduation ceremony from Arcturus Academy." Grant stumbled from the interruption but nodded, "Yes, a class of two hundred of the brightest in the Alliance, cut down to just twelve survivors."_

_He took a small sip from the mug in front of him, "How is it that anyone could be expected to come out of that with their_ -

As a fist connected with the screen it caused the unaware crewman to leap away, turning to find himself face to face with a very, very angry Admiral Shepard, "Son, I would greatly appreciate it if for the remainder of this trip you could not be an idiot." Pulling back his hand Shepard hissed as a sliver of screen came out with it, "Go and fetch me the med kit." As he sat down he glared cracked screen he had decked, "Fucking luxury bullshit."

He had 'appropriated' a shuttle that had been idling on Earth to take to the Citadel, to hell with Hackett and the rest of the Admirals, he had a Granddaughter who needed a damn good talking to.

S&S

"Ah, Spectre Varan," at that the Volus chuckled, "Sorry, force of habit, Spectre Shepard." He waved her inside further, talking as she and Ash approached, "Too bad you couldn't have let me know of this ahead of time, we could have made a killing." She smiled at the financial wizard, "But that wouldn't be exactly legal now would it Von?" At that the Volus just made a dismissive motion with his hands, "Everything is legal, somewhere."

They both shared a quiet laugh at that, though Ashley was left confused as to what was so damn funny. Finally, though after some more small talk Evalyn got to business, "How has the market reacted?" Von tapped into the interface in front of him, statistics scrawled across the screens on his desk, "Relatively well. You have seen a," he was quiet for a moment as he brought up a screen on his terminal, "sixteen percent increase overall. Though, Illium is making noise regarding your company."

Shepard made a small noise in the back of her throat, "I'll let my people know to pay off the right officials," but at the shake of Von's head she frowned, "Why? What else went wrong?" The Volus gave a small shrug, "Not wrong, just complicated. The Dantius clan, is making the most noise. One of them, Nassana, is here, and has offered you a way out. Didn't say what it was just that you should meet her, when you could. She's officially here working for Serrice Council, so I don't think there is a need to rush to meet her." He tapped his Omni forwarding the coordinates to her, "Though I suspect that you are here for my other line of work?"

At Shepard's nod he sighed, "No one is interested in just making money anymore." This caused Ashley to grin, but she frowned at the thought that this soccer ball like alien was a part of the galaxy's most feared information network.

"This information is free of charge. I'm sure you understand what that means?" Shepard simply nodded, "It means that the charge is my assistance." At the Volus' nod Eva sighed, one day she would ask for help and get it, no strings, and then it would rain freaking chocolate.

"All right, Von, give me the information." The Volus pulled out a small data stick, handing it to her with a stubby appendage, "First off, Fist has betrayed the network," noticing her raised eyebrow he shushed her with a motion, "In conjunction with that, your friend, Wrex. He is here, to collect."

Wrex? Now that was good news, and she was certain that she could enlist the Krogan's help in this scavenger hunt she had found herself a part of. "And the second?"

"Saren is who Fist betrayed the Broker for. Claims he has damaging information in regards to the Spectre. Says that he captured a Quarian, who had found the information from a Geth data core."

Shepard's face paled at that, Tali was the only Quarian on the Citadel who had those skills, and if she had been captured she had just put Garrus directly in danger. "Abyss take this day!" She swung, already at a run by the moment the door opened, Ashley rushing to catch up to her after being caught off guard. Shepard though was already trying to get a hold of Wrex.

"Wrex here, make it fast." She could hear the sound of bad music, and what sounded like another Krogan growling at the Battlemaster, "Wrex, this is Shepard, meet me at these coordinates now. Fist has someone I want so we may as well combine forces."

There was a silence on the line for a few moments, before a chuckle, "Alright, Shepard. Always more fun to slaughter idiots with friends."

Shepard terminated the connection, and quickly opened up the backdoor she had placed into Garrus' omni, and after activating his tracker software she found his location easily enough. Skidding to a halt she turned to Ash, "Ashley I need you to get in contact with Kaidan, then I want you two to meet me at these coordinates." Both their omni's momentarily pulsed as the data transferred, but Ashley was obviously torn between listening to her friend, and following the orders given to her.

Eva sighed, "Ash, I have limited time here, and Saren is already moving against our efforts. Kaidan could be in danger, and I know Vakarian is going to be, so I need you to fucking trust me right now!" At Ashley's nod Eva smiled grimly, taking off at a run towards a normally off limits express lift that was only to be used by emergency personnel, "I think this counts as an emergency," she muttered to herself as she overrode the door's locks. As the lift doors sealed behind her she had to fight the urge to vomit, the lift's speed was past the regular limit that a human would feel comfortable in, but she was willing to deal with a little discomfort to make sure the Detective got out of this mess alive.

As she slipped out of it she checked Garrus' tracker again, and frowned upon seeing that he had moved to some alley down by Morlan's. "Is this idiot trying to get himself killed?" She took off at a run, and subconsciously was prepping to form a biotic barrier around her body in the case of a fight, her fingers playing along the hilt of her pistol hidden under her jacket.

She skidded into the alley, finding her deepest fears confirmed as the Detective was slumped against the wall, a trail of dark blue blood on the wall above him. His assailants consisted of two Salarians in armor, and one barefaced Turian, which meant she was either dealing with three wily bastards, or three idiots.

So she did the sensible thing and she fired first, her pistol sliding firmly into her left as she overloaded the Turian's shield, the round she requisitioned for him leaving a stain on the wall opposite of Garrus. The Salarian's unfortunately reacted fast enough that she was placing them in the wily category, one of them tossed a sabotage at her, which would have been useless on her Sabre but it stopped her Carnifex in its tracks. The other attempted to overload her shields, but found that difficult to do given that she wasn't protecting herself with a kinetic barrier.

Thrusting forward her hand she slammed a pull field into the closest of the two, deploying the omni blade from her synthetic arm she buried it into where she knew the heart resided in the Salarian chest. But as she shoved the now ex-Salarian to the ground she saw that his partner was firmly in the idiot category, as he pulled two high ex grenades from his belt. But before he, or Shepard for that matter, could react the Salarian collapsed, a single hole in the center of their helmet.

She glanced down to see a smoking pistol in Garrus' talons, a dry choking laugh from him, "Couldn't let you have all the fun, Spectre."

She shipped her pistol before quickly moving over to the Turian, bending down she slowly helped the Turian to stand, "We need to get you to a Doctor." At that Garrus coughed weakly before managing to talk, "You don't want to call C-Sec first? We are at the scene of a crime."

Shepard just scowled, "Ya, just keep being a smartass while you bleed out, very helpful, Detective." That earned a chuckle from the Turian, "Oh, that hurt," after a few more labored breaths he managed to wheeze out, "There is a doctor on this level, human, Doctor Michelle, she can patch me up enough that I can limp back to headquarters."

Shepard just sighed, "That sounds like an idiotic plan, but fine have it your way."

The pair managed to make it the relatively short distance to the aforementioned clinic, though not without receiving numerous strange looks every pedestrian they passed. But the moment the clinic door hissed open Shepard cursed whatever bad luck was following her, as she found herself stumbling into what quickly transformed into a hostage situation.

Three hostiles, no obvious barrier, or K-shield shimmer, poor quality weapons, twitchy dispositions, not a good batch to try to negotiate with, and honestly she was kind of impatient at this exact moment.

And so before the lead moron had a chance to speak her right arm flashed, the synthetic limb unhindered by the restraints of its flesh counterpart had drawn, targeted, and fired upon all three targets, before they had realized she had gone for her gun.

And as the trio of bodies fell around the screaming human, Garrus only starred in shock, "Spirits."

Shepard for her part just pulled him on to one of the beds, before moving over to the Doctor, who was now realizing she was still alive. "Doctor? I'm Spectre Shepard, this is Detective Vakarian who needs your help right now, the people who these men likely worked for just tried to have him killed, and I suspect this batch was here to catch him if he was hurt. So please, help him."

As the woman blinked a few more times she nodded, "Of course, of course, Spectre. And I'm terribly sorry," the woman paused briefly before clarifying, "For the screaming." Shepard had to blink a few times as she realized the woman was speaking in a French accent, something rather odd as it meant she was purposely speaking English, instead of letting a translator simply translate her speech for others. But what was one more oddity to add to the day at this point, and so she just focused on what was important.

"Think nothing of it, Doctor." And with that the Doctor quickly went to work, though Garrus insisted on keeping awake during the procedure, his eyes analyzing Shepard. "I've reviewed all of the files on both your identities that I could." Shepard shifted her weight on to one leg, and combined with her crossed arm screamed non-verbally, 'get on with whatever you have to say.'

"Ever since you lost your arm you switched to your left, but from what I just saw it isn't a performance thing, so, why?" Shepard flexed her still gloved synthetic hand, the integrated omni knew to form the interface around clothing so as not to damage whatever she was wearing, "I don't want to get used to using it." She paused for a few moments, before deciding to elaborate, "I lost my arm trying to save lives, but in the end none of what I did mattered, and all I ended up was losing yet another piece of myself."

She frowned as she clenched her synthetic hand into a fist, one that she knew could crush bone is required to. "But is it a loss when I can build a better arm? Flesh has limits, an organic limb can't do even a quarter of what this limb can, but then why not just replace the whole thing?" She sighed, moving a few steps away so that her back was to the Turian, running a hand through her bangs, "And I know that if I get used to using it, that little voice in my head that says to just replace it all will get too strong." She glanced back at the Turian, "Of course, in matters of life and death I won't even think about it, I'm a survivor first and foremost, a philosopher second."

The good Doctor has a strange look on her face, but she quickly schooled it and went back to work, Vakarian for his part nodded, "I can understand that, and I can certainly respect that." He let out a wince as Michel pulled an armor shard out of a gash in his shoulder, "Look, I know you have places to be, and I won't be able to help you deal with the Quarian issue, but if some C-Sec punk tries to play chicken with a Spectre, tell them to contact Detective Vakarian."

Shepard nodded, "Thanks, Garrus." The blue armored Turian nodded, "I should be thanking you, but lets just hold off on that for a little bit, I'd like to even the score first." Shepard just laughed at that as she made her way out of the clinic.

S&S

" **The Catalyst will succeed. Why waste the resources in attempting to halt the inevitable?"** Saren clenched his jaw together at the grating voice that Sovereign used to communicate, glaring at the projection that had appeared nearby, "Perhaps if your servants were capable of doing the tasks assigned to them, we wouldn't find ourselves in this mess."

" **We must act quickly to gain access to the Cypher, otherwise the beacon's message will be useless to us."** Saren had to agree with that statement, cursing the fact that he was forced to rely on others to gather the needed intelligence for him.

"Benezia is tracking where the creatures you identified as byproducts of the Thorian originated from, she couldn't find out the direct source, but she did discover the base that they were going to be shipped to. It belongs to Orthus, another human organization, but this one is run by your precious Catalyst's Mother."

" **The offspring is the only thing we are concerned with, deal with the Mother as you see fit."** The projection hovered for a few moments before it began to speak once more, **"A new second in command may be in order soon, Benezia's mind is powerful, and eventually her mind will reject the alterations that I have built upon them. Fear of an eventuality is only useful for so long, if she does not receive the cure she seeks she will rebel against our instruction."**

Saren rounded his attention on to the flickering crimson hologram, "You mean to tell me that she could break free of your control at any time?"

" **No, the process is irreversible, but to keep her at her most productive we have attempted an alternative method of control. One that plays off of her greatest fear, but should her mind be forced to confront this fact our control over her could be damaged, perhaps lost all together. She would not be who she once was, but she would be a threat to our plans."**

Saren let out a low growl, running a talon over the cybernetics on his jaw, "So how do we ensure she doesn't have such a crisis of faith?"

" **Kill the source of the conflict, kill Liara T'Soni."** Saren frowned, his mandibles moving position subtly, "Won't losing her Daughter simply take away the reason you have her helping us? How does that solve the problem at all?"

" **Her offspring's death will not be a loss for us, and with minimal effort she can be made to blame another."** Saren's face flickered momentarily into a grin, "Like a certain Human Spectre."

As the room was plunged into darkness as Sovereign's avatar disappeared Saren found himself chuckling to himself in the darkness. He would enjoy the chance to cause both Shepard and Benezia pain, the Asari for being such an easily controlled creature, and Shepard simply because it would give him pleasure.

But such thoughts were banished as he winced from another flash of the beacon, from what he had managed to learn the beacon was not calibrated to operate with Turian physiology. Yet from what he had seen of Shepard, she had come out of the event relatively unscathed, was it due to her Graybox, her status as this 'Catalyst,' or was it something else entirely.

It was known that the Protheans had been involved on Earth at some point, could they have engineered the human's to be capable of interfacing with their technology? But then how did one explain the Asari sharing the ability as well, unless there too lay a connection.

Saren was an intelligent being, but he was not a scientist, and he did not foresee himself having the time in the future to pursue this line of thinking. But still the thought lingered on the edge of his consciousness, could the Prothean's have had some plan for both the Humans, and the Asari. He knew that the Protheans had some connection to the Asari thanks to a comment by Benezia, but the woman refused to enlighten him any further, and Sovereign refused to compel her to do so for information it considered meaningless.

As another spike went through his skull he managed to banish the thought from his mind, he had more pressing matters to attend to, the foremost being dealing with this fucking message!

He quickly tapped contacted one of his men on his omni, the blurry image of a Krogan with an astonishing degree of cybernetic augmentation appearing on his screen. "Dror, I need you to take a few drop ships of Geth to the location I'm sending you."

Dror nodded, his voice tinged with a synthetic flair, "What's the target?" Saren just smiled at that, "You'll finally get to have your revenge for what Shepard did to you. You get to kill Liara T'Soni."

The Krogan's artificial laugh unnerved even the Turian, but he was confident that the problem was going to be taken care of, and soon.

S&S

As Kaidan and Ashley tried to be inconspicuous as they entered an extremely high end presidium neighborhood, Kaidan couldn't help but ask the same question he had three times now, "You're sure that this is the right spot?"

Ashley couldn't hold back her groan of frustration, "Yes, LT I'm sure. Unless of course you just want to head back to enjoy the view at Chora's some more." Noticing the slight discomfort that remark brought Ashley smirked, got ya Lieutenant.

The location Shepard had given them was two levels below the main floor, which they learned from the local V.I were apartments that had their own private landing pads attached, and as Kaidan turned to look at her again Ashley cut him off, "Don't ask me if this is the right place, because I swear, rank aside, I will drop you."

That of course just caused the LT to smirk at her, "Sure thing, Chief." Which just caused an exasperated sigh to escape from the female of the pair, "Just follow me," she mumbled more to herself than to him as they stepped into a nearby lift.

The lift was faster than the Normandy's, a fact that both parties were thankful for as they hadn't wanted to spend an afternoon traveling down two floors, and as the doors noiselessly swung open the duo stepped into the hallway.

Making their way down the hall they came upon the unit that Shepard had supplied, "Do we just go in?" Ashley shrugged at Kaidan's question, unsure of the answer herself.

The answer however was supplied for them, as the door slid open to reveal the scarred visage of a Krogan, who simply jerked his hand to indicate they should come inside. Before he swung his bulk around to return to his post of leaning against the only wall that gave him a clear view of the whole room. Ashley and Kaidan for their part complied, with Kaidan idly moving around the room, while Ash tried to raise Shepard on her omni from the couch.

"Shepard says that she'll be here soon, apparently some Turian Detective who was helping her got ambushed down in the wards so she had to get him to a clinic." The Krogan just chuckled at that, causing both human's to flinch at the sound, "Trust a Turian to get taken out before the war has even begun."

Kaidan shook his head, "This isn't a war, we're just trying to do the right thing." Wrex just smirked at that, "Don't be naive human, if you strip Saren's Spectre status what do you think is going to happen then? He's not going to go down quietly, and he will try to take as many of you down with him as he can. I know the man; I know his type too." At the he let out another low chuckle, but Ashley knew he was right, regardless of what happened here today, a war had begun whether it was ever officially called one or not.

The SA had only ever been in two official wars, one was of course the First Contact War with the Turians, while the other was the Systems War that had started not long after the initial inner colonies had become self-sufficient in the year 2154.

The new colonies felt that thanks to their independence from Earth they should keep the fruits of their labors, which the Earth felt should be sent home given that they had both founded and supported those colonies during their initial steps. The war was an awkward affair for the history books to describe to this day, as much of the minutia of space combat was still all theory to humans. As such there had been little in the way of great battles, only a mass amounts of ineffective skirmishes, but the war had set the shape of the SA for years to come.

The war had seen the rise of Admiral Drescher, the German born woman had scored one of the few decisive victories of the war, and who would become the savior of Shanxi three years later during the FCW. It was also when Admiral Harrison Shepard had developed the Carrier class, it first being tested against the Colonials in orbit near Terra Nova, the fighters tearing their way through the enemy fleet as Guardian systems had yet to be developed by the humans.

The war finally ended when the Colonials agreed to peace talks following the threat by, then Captain, John Shepard to drop an asteroid onto Terra Nova's capital of Scott. A move that at once proved two things, one the man was far harder than most had given him credit for, and two he had one hell of a poker face as to this day not even Steven Hackett had been able to say for certain if John would have gone through with his plan.

The resulting peace talks had changed the shape of humanity, it was agreed that the SA would be the governing body in space, and that the capital would be the soon to be constructed Arcturus Station, not Earth. Earth though had retained their rights to the resources of those colonies that they founded, and to this day nearly sixty percent of Earth founded colonies output traveled via the Charon relay back to the homeworld. To be perfectly candid most of the former Colonial colonies had been preparing for round two before the advent of the FCW, but upon the realization that humanity was not alone in the universe suddenly Earth was no longer the enemy, but the cradle of civilization to be defended.

Of course many of the hardliner independents had moved out beyond the borders of the SA, forming numerous wildcat colonies that sat near the borders of the Terminus, often illustrated simply by a thin broken blue line between SA space proper, and Aria's domain, on the current Alliance star charts.

Ashley's attention was brought back to the present as the door opened to reveal the blonde Spectre, whose face upon glancing around the room lit up with a grin, "Wrex!" The Krogan for his part just smirked, clasping Shepard's forearm while she did likewise, "Shepard."

As they broke from their embrace, Shepard turned her attention to the other two humans in the room, "Ash, Kaidan, I assume this mean spirited lizard hasn't introduced himself yet, so meet Urdnot Wrex, one of the few remaining Krogan Battlemasters. Wrex, this is Lieutenant Alenko, one of the Alliance's L2 Sentinels, and that is Chief Williams, one of the best soldiers I have ever had the pleasure of serving with." Wrex of course greeted them with his most cordial of greetings, which consisted of a grunt in their general direction.

Shepard quickly moved across the room, bringing up whatever schematics she had on Chora's up on one of several wall mounted screens in the room, "Alright, here is what we know so far. Tali'Zorah, a tiny little synthetic hating spitfire was attempting to trade information she uncovered to the Broker network. The only problem is that the local low level brokerage contact, a charming man who goes by the name fist, his real name is Sebastian by the way, recently turned traitor." At that she glanced over at the Krogan in the room, "Wrex here has been hired to kill him, which means that our interests align."

She sighed, "Make no mistake this isn't going to be a bunch of kids in this place playing at being gangsters, Fist may not be bright, but he's paranoid and willing to pay to satisfy that paranoia. As such we have two major hurdles," She circled one area of the schematic on the screen, highlighting the bar.

Kaidan frowned at the room, "That is one hell of a bottleneck for us to get through, no other entry points?" Shepard shook her head, "Fist has been paying off Citadel inspectors since he arrived, so safety regulations regarding fire exits are not in full effect." a smirk playing across her features as she spoke. The blonde turned her heard towards Kaidan, "You and Wrex are the only people who were in bar itself, so any thing that we can use to our advantage?"

Kaidan paced up to the wall, highlighting a wall section that was on the outside of the club, "This wall here is directly against the bulkhead of the inner wall, I mean we will still be dropping inside the club, but if we hit here and the door directly afterwards." Ashley smirked from her seat, "Instant crossfire scenario."

Wrex grunted his agreement, his gravely voice filling the room, "That bar's reinforced, has to be if you want to serve Krogan any liquor and still have a bar left, probably the best piece of cover in the room." She shifted her gaze between the two males, "Anything else?" And at their combined shrug she groaned, "So we have, blow up the wall, and hide behind the bar, great basis for an insertion strategy."

The Krogan's chuckle caused her to glance back at the lizard, causing a smirk to cross his wide face, "We've fought worse than this with worse plans, Shepard. My only question is how you think this little suit rat is going to help you take down Saren, no way that whatever she has is enough to flip the Council." Shepard sighed, but he was right and she knew it, which was why she had gone to Aria, "T'Loak is going to confirm that the weapons we found on Eden Prime were stolen by Saren's agents."

Wrex's eyes narrowed slightly at that, "How did you get the Queen Bitch to help you out?" Shepard rubbed her neck while a faint blush appeared on her face, "I owe her a favor."

Wrex's eyes were damn near invisible now, before he just made a disgusted noise, "Your funeral, the Queen isn't known for being magnanimous when it comes to calling in what is owed her." He shook his head, "But she'll get you your evidence, regardless of the truth of the matter, plus she gets you Tevos. Word is she has some major blackmail over the Councillor, why there hasn't been any major movements against her since Tevos took up the job."

Ashley cleared her throat, "Fascinating as this is, but didn't you say there are two hurdles we have to deal with?"

Shepard shot the brunette a glare, but it quickly disappeared as she highlighted an area deeper into Fists' complex. "This room is Fists' office, and directly behind it are numerous 'storage rooms' which as I'm sure everyone can see are suspiciously shaped like cells. Fist at last count had at least two high grade auto turrets, and he himself has been spotted utilizing a suit of Colossus light powered armor, so he's at minimum able to haul around a Mako's repeater cannon."

Kaidan studied the picture of the man that was on the main screen, "Just because he can move in the armor doesn't mean he can use it. The Colossus is, finicky, on its best days, the knee actuators in particular like to go, they're the same model that Kassa uses for their standard heavy armors."

Ashley though pipped up from the couch, "That room is pretty big for an office, he could have some type of heavy mech support inside of that room for all we know."

Shepard just turned towards her, a predatory grin on her face, "That is what grenade launchers are for, my dear."

S&S

Miranda let out a groan of frustration, this was the fifteenth iteration of her attempts to hijack these 'Thralls' control signal, and still nothing. They just stood there, and that was it!

"Some lead this turned out to be, maybe I can get Eva to forward me a copy of that data she recovered from Eden Prime. There was some mild promise in those husk creatures." At the sound of the door opening behind her Miranda turned, ready to go for the pistol at her waist before she recognized the form of her Mother. "Mom? I thought you were up on the Nova?"

The Nova was the pocket Dreadnought that they had, 'appropriated' from Cerberus when they had parted ways. It had begun life as an Alliance project that had its funding cut in order to produce the Jupiter class, before being completed by The Illusive Man, until it ultimately fell into their hands.

Though the mission had not gone off without a hitch, Kai Leng had tracked them to the ship, and it had only been the combined efforts of the Orthus crew, along with Shepard and Liara T'Soni that had driven off the psychopath.

Leng had escaped thanks to a Cerberus agent hidden within Hannah's crew, though not before Eva had put several rounds into both his knee caps. But before the Specter had been able to finish him off a Cerberus agent, now identified as one 'Rasa' had managed to take out the distracted Spectre, and had escaped by stealing one of Orthus' shuttles, while detonating the rest to discourage pursuit.

That had been the first time Shepard and Miranda had met without one of them being masked, and it honestly marked the first time Miranda had thought she could find some common ground with the Sister she had only to that point heard of, or worked together in a purely professional fashion.

But it had also caused her to become even more paranoid, Hannah was too trusting of the people she had taken with them, and Miranda knew that the Illusive Man had moles in their organization. But Hannah always brushed off her concerns, citing that the senior members had all served with her for years, some dating back to her days as Eva Core, Miranda of course never pointed out that such people would have an equally long history with Jack Harper but the fact was always at the back of her brain.

"The technicians finished up early, we are now officially the most heavily armed heavy cargo hauler in history." They had put a great deal of effort into disguising the Nova, as Hannah planned on turning it into a mobile headquarters of sorts, a plan which Miranda was fully supportive of, it was always easier to catch a rat when they had nowhere to run.

Hannah though caught on to Miranda's distracted frame of mind, "Honey, no one expects you to do this all by yourself. You've only been at this for a few weeks, plus there was that little side trip you had with Eva, and well I won't lie these things give me the creeps. Give me a good old fashioned mech any day."

Miranda couldn't help but smile at the comment, Hannah's love for technology was only surpassed by her biological Daughter, Miranda herself was more of a geneticist, though if that was due to an actually interest. or just the need to understand her own construction was a question she didn't like to dwell on.

"Yes, well I can't disagree with you there. And what little results I'm getting seems entirely contingent on the thralls being able to detect a control signal in the first place, it's almost like they are somehow still connected even with such a massive distance between them." Miranda just huffed, "This is going to sound ludicrous but they almost seem to have some type of organic quantum connection built into them, but that is just ludicrous," she tossed the datapad in her hand on to a nearby table, massaging her temples, "I need food, and some sleep."

Hannah just laughed at that, "Well at least you know that you need it, Eva once went nearly thirty-six hours without sleep before she passed out, then she woke up and went right back to work." She chuckled a little at the memory, "She got that from John, the man was an amazing Admiral but the moment he wasn't in a life threatening situation he would forget how to operate a door. Personally I think that was why he always kept an aide nearby, he hated looking like an idiot, probably stems from how Harrison was just the measuring stick for what it meant to be an Admiral."

Miranda just listened to her Mother, she never really knew how she was supposed to take these little talks, Eva was her sister, that she could deal with. The two of them had found a few times to talk here and there, and they had bonded surprisingly fast, but she supposed two lonely hyper intelligent women who shared the same Mother would either come together, or try to kill each other.

But she had no history with Hannah's deceased Husband, and she had never met Harrison Shepard, though she was aware that he was one of the reasons that Eva had never been told of her Mother's history with Cerberus. The Shepard Patriarch had threatened to take custody of the child if Hannah tried to get his Granddaughter into any of her, 'terrorist bullshit.' Of course Miranda knew that Hannah never intended on letting Eva know of her history with Cerberus, but Harrison did not, nor would he likely have believed her, as it was well known that he had never approved of his Son's Wife.

Of course this was the current cause of the friction between Hannah, and her biological Daughter. Who had been forced to deal with the fact that not only had her Mother been involved with the cover up following Akuze, but that she could have stopped the event altogether, a series of events further complicated by the fact that Hannah had attempted to have Eva transferred out of her unit shortly before they departed for Akuze, only for the transfer orders to end up not being delivered.

Learning all of this had shattered all of Eva's preconceptions about her Mother, and she still hadn't come to terms with the reality. Miranda could empathize as she knew that she had a case of hero worship for Hannah as well, but the difference was she had always been made aware of both sides of Hannah's identity. Whereas Evalyn's was based on an incomplete portrait, and Miranda wasn't sure if Eva would ever be able to truly trust Hannah again, but she kept that to herself.

"Miranda? Miri!" Miranda nearly ran into her Mother, blinking a few times to focus herself she found them in the small mess hall, "I'm sorry, I was somewhere else." Hannah just cocked her head to the side that screamed, 'tell me something I didn't know.' Which just caused a smile to appear on both women's lips.

"Yes, well now you are in the mess hall. So grab some food, I want you to head up to the Nova while I supervise the move down here." Miranda frowned at that, "Why?"

Hannah though simply grabbed one of the heated packs from the cabinet built into the wall, forcing Miranda to huff after her and do likewise. The older woman only deigning to answer when they had both sat themselves down in an isolated corner of the hall. Not that there was anyone else in the room, as this was the middle of the asteroid base's night cycle.

"You're going to take command of the Nova in a few months, Samson has been doing a fine job, but well, I agree with you that his judgment isn't the best. It can't be me because I'm stuck as freaking management now." The older woman was practically pouting at that point, as she had made little effort to hide the fact that she was disgruntled at being turned into a paper pusher. But Hannah also refused to let anyone else take the reigns, as to do so could cause them to slip back on to the same path that Cerberus was now treading, an organization that was doing more damage to Humanity than good.

Miranda though understood what Hannah was expecting of her, she was of course well versed in battle tactics, calm under fire, and of course the one person that Hannah could trust implicitly. "I understand, but this isn't going to be simple moving the base over to the Nova. We're looking at nearly a million credits worth of equipment here, plus a few hundred on site Orthus members, the lab technicians, plus all the sentimental junk they have in their rooms."

Hannah just held up her hands in a placating gesture, "I know Miri, think of it as time to get used to the ship, meet the crew, maybe have a conversation with a human being other than yourself." Miranda frowned at that last statement, muttering under her breath, "I talked to Eva, that counts." Though she winced as she saw the flicker of pain cross Hannah's features.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean," but Hannah halted her with a gesture, "It's alright Miri, it is simply, hard though. Knowing that she is still so angry," her voice trailed off, before she drew in a shaky breath, "But I always knew that this was a risk, and I can't hold the fact that she still has some morals against her. Regardless of how much it hurts."

Miranda just reached across the table, grasping Hannah's trembling hand, causing the older blonde to give her a small smile, "Thank you, dear." She took a few moments to compose herself, before her eyes flicked back to her older Daughter, "Go and get some sleep, Miri. And once you wake, well lots to be done."

S&S

"Shepard I don't know if you are just the most paranoid person in existence, or you just like sitting on top of an armory." Ash was almost gleefully moving through the Shepard's collection of weapons in the back, having already selected one of her Raptor rifles, in addition to the modified M-100 Grenade launcher that Shepard had provided for her.

She handed Kaidan over an older Vindicator rifle, a replacement for one she had lost while on her final evaluation with Saren years prior, but he seemed a lot more thankful for spare K-Generator that she handed him, "Just in case."

Wrex waved off any offer of assistance, just patting the bag at his side as a grin crossed his features, "Still have your last present here," which of course was a reference to the Claymore she had given him during their last mission together.

Shepard for her part was armored once again, the predominately white armor broken up only by the black sections on the limbs that represented more exotic hardened compounds that had gone into the manufacturing process, along with the red running lights that crisscrossed along the boxy suit. But it was designed to her exact specifications, and had taken months to complete resulting in a piece of technology that was likely a year ahead of anything else on the market. Though it had come at a considerable expense, and as such she was going in without a helmet until she could gather the resources to construct a new one.

"Wrex, you still carrying that Striker?" At Wrex's nod she grinned, the Striker itself was an assault rifle of sorts, but instead of a normal ammo block it used an exotic compound that detonated upon impact, turning the weapon into a somewhat impromptu grenade launcher. Of course the recoil made it all but unusable if it wasn't mounted, except to a Krogan as the species had designed the weapon in the first place.

Wrex simply grinned as he pulled the gun from the bag, "It takes care of the little things." And like the professional that he was, the old Krogan began to do a once over of his rifle, time and experience had taught him to always have your gear in working order.

Shepard nodded, a plan forming in her mind as she moved across the room to pull out several explosive charges from storage cases. She had modeled the explosives off of those used in precise demolition work, though in her case it was mostly for anti-armor purposes, or for gaining access to bunkers, but it turned out they were finally going to be used for their intended purpose.

"Okay, Wrex and Kaidan will go in through the main door, Kaidan will stay in the rear to provide barrier support. Meanwhile Ash, myself, and my friends here," She tapped the charges she had attached to her hip, "Will go in through the wall, Ash will concentrate on taking out those enemies in the light cover around the room, while I will focus on anyone around the bar."

Wrex slid the ammo block of the Striker back into place, "And what am I doing aside for getting shot at?" Shepard just smirked at him, "You'll be taking out that Krogan I heard you arguing with when I called you."

Both marines fidgeted uncomfortably at the sound of Wrex's laughter, unsure of why anyone would be so pleased with killing a member of their own race.

S&S

The journey to Chora's had been relatively peaceful, Shepard had gotten the Spectre office to send over a vehicle that could accommodate a Krogan, and upon arrival she and Ash had gotten into the front compartment of the space truck, while Wrex and Kaidan got in the back.

Ash was fidgeting, worried about going into a firefight without her armor, but unlike Wrex and Shepard she didn't have a permit for it, and the only armor that she knew would fit her was back in the Normandy still in need of a major overhaul. Shepard of course picked up on what was bothering her, "Just stay low, and rely on the launcher, it fires dumb grenades so make sure to swap them to time if you want to bounce them off of something, otherwise they detonate on impact."

Ash nodded, "Ya, I remember seeing a few of them when a couple of really bright pirates tried to raid us. I mean the weapon is effective, but this is you so we're talking about, so I'm kind of surprised to see something so, primitive, I guess." Shepard just laughed at that, "I have nothing against stuff that is old, all that matters is if it works. Plus, the schematics are available freely online, so it is a good weapon to use if you don't want to leave any clues as to who you are."

Ash sighed, "Wrex was right earlier wasn't he? This here, this is just the first domino to fall isn't it." Shepard's lips thinned, and with a single terse motion she nodded, the blonde woman's voice was as tense as Ashley felt, "Best case scenario is we strip Saren of his authority and he becomes a ghost, worst case is he and the Geth go on an all out war in the Traverse."

Shepard sighed, "And I have a feeling I'm going to be the one sent to deal with him, it solves the need for both the Alliance and the Council to appear to be doing something, but well serving two masters is hardly easy when there isn't the threat of galactic war." Her voice trailed off, her eyes showing that she was lost somewhere else for a few moments.

Ash too was caught in her own thoughts, foremost among them what was to happen if they failed. If Saren somehow escaped justice how could she deal with the faces of the dead, they already haunted what little sleep she had tried to get, but if she failed?

So she asked the question she knew that Shepard didn't want asked, but she did it because she had to, "How did you manage to sleep after Akuze?"

The tension in the cabin skyrocketed, but finally Shepard managed to pry her natural hand off of the control it was gripping to move it to the base of her neck, "I didn't, not for a long time. I drank, a lot, enough that I didn't notice that my Mother had hired an Elcor to trail me. And I probably would have stayed that way too if Nihlus hadn't have found me, offered me a chance at revenge, but really what he offered me was an escape."

She blinked back a few tears at the thought of her friend, but they had all known that they could bite it at any time. And perhaps that was why she was handling this so well compared to her previous losses, yes what had happened was tragic, but it was part of the job description.

Her Father's shuttle blowing up in front of her, losing most of her graduating class to a terrorist attack, the loss of her entire unit on Akuze, you can't prepare for any of those events. But the loss of a friend who is a Spectre agent, well that is just something you accept as an inevitability.

"It's taken me a long time to put myself back together, and I've stumbled, and I know for certain that I have fucked up, but understand this Ash. If you replace a part, you have changed the fundamental nature of the machine, even if you convince yourself that it is identical there will always be something different, and those small differences make the world."

Ash too at this point had two lines of tears on her cheeks, the woman of course being too stoic to sob instead just stood still as a statue save for the liquid running down her face. Her voice cracked as she finally spoke, "Donkey, the guy we saw get impaled by that spike machine, he said once that, 'Luck is for the lonely.' Why the fuck am I lucky?"

Shepard wanted to reach across the compartment to comfort her, but she knew that Ash would flinch away from contact with her synthetic hand. And so all she could say was, "I don't know why Ash, once I would have said because maybe there is a plan for us, but I can't say that honestly anymore." After that she simply allowed the woman to process her emotions on her own, before quietly informing her a short while later, "Just a few minutes before we are at the landing zone, Ash."

Ashley nodded, and began the process of slipping into a more focused mindset. And while Shepard would have preferred to have given her friend more time to cope, they honestly had little choice, had Garrus not been injured then perhaps she could have had Ash sit this one out, but she knew that her, Wrex, and Kaidan wouldn't have been enough.

Shepard banged her right arm on the back wall of the compartment, signaling to the guys in the back that they were nearly there, the corresponding thud she received was Wrex's polite way of telling her to use the damn radio.

"Just trying to be old school Wrex," and she was gratified to see that Ash was smirking at the comment.

"Shepard, just because your species only discovered radio two hundred years ago doesn't mean the rest of us are that slow on the uptake." Ash opened her mouth, but Shepard shushed her. Not wanting them to start an argument this early, plus Wrex was testy when it came to comments on his race.

She brought the truck down on a pad that was situated near Chora's, but not close enough that she was expecting an ambush. And as she exited the vehicle she quickly overwrote the nearby meters programming, as she didn't know how their exfil was going to go, but it was best not to have the possible escape vehicle hardlocked by C-sec.

The quartet advanced, their weapons getting them noticed quickly, but her Spectre emblem making people forget them just as quickly. It wasn't until they entered the skyway that led to Chora's that they knew something was wrong, as the door itself was blinking an angry red that indicated the door was locked.

"Too bad, I was really hoping for a drink first." Wrex chuckled a little, "Guess I'll just have to serve myself then." He quickly began to move up, while Shepard tossed Ash a charge as both moved up their breech point. Kaidan for his part was sticking back on overwatch, until it actually came time to begin the show.

Shepard tapped the activation toggle on the charge, speaking into her mic, "Charge set." With Ashley quickly chiming in, "Mine too." Causing both women to run for cover behind the nearby metal wall that stopped the inebriated from tumbling to their death.

"Wrex you ready?" And she had to assume his chuckle was an affirmative, Kaidan for his part just gave her a thumbs up when she glanced his way, which made her realize that Ash likely wasn't the only one still hurting from Eden Prime.

"Alright, blowing them in 3,2," upon stating the last number a roar filled the room, and so did an explosion. Wrex moved inside faster than the rest of them could react, using the high explosive rounds of his rifle to great effect on the stunned gangsters. Shepard herself sprinted inside, rounds flickering off her shields as she began to target the sharpshooters who were perched on top of the bar with her Sabre.

A sudden fireball engulfing a table across the room let her know that Ashley had joined the fray, and when an explosion that was meant for Wrex revealed him to have been protected by a shimmering biotic barrier she knew that Kaidan was here too.

A roar came from across the room as a Krogan slammed into Wrex, but the older Krogan's biotics flared as Wrex brought his plated skull crashing down on top of the younger male, knocking him to his knees. Wrex growled at the stunned bouncer, "Stay down pup."

But as the male hurled himself to his feat he bellowed another challenge, only to have it cut off quickly from a single retort of Wrex's claymore. And as the now headless body collapsed to the ground Wrex sighed, "Waste."

The gangsters had by this time been fully routed, both Wrex and Shepard having overestimated their capabilities apparently. "Alright, we got lucky here. But Fist may still have some surprises, so don't get sloppy." With that Shepard began to move forward, her omni scanning for any trouble as they moved deeper into the complex.

But it was only after she popped her head around the corner that she realized how deep the shit they were in was.

Standing square in the center of the room was Solan, in his fucking mech suit. The suit itself was vaguely humanoid, though with elongated arms and legs, multi-missile batteries could be seen built across the surface of the suit's limbs. While a trio of mass effect cannons made up the left hand, the right ended in a standard hand that was currently in a fist. The most distinctive feature was the head, which was represented by a large turreted mass effect cannon.

"My, apologies Spectre, but Fist paid, me for my services long before, I knew you, were involved. Know that, it isn't personal." As his voice finished being transmitted through the suit a deluge of rounds began to tear into the wall, causing Shepard to curse as she hurled herself to the ground. "Wrex, I need you to distract it! I have a plan"

Wrex grumbled as he grabbed his Striker, "Why do your plans always involve me getting shot, or tossed out of space ships." But he flared his biotics to shield himself as he bellowed out a battlecry. "Kaidan, Ash, get into the back and try to rescue Tali!" At this point she also deployed the drones she had mounted on her upper back, hoping that they would at least provide some level of distraction for the Krogan.

With that she went to work, hacking into Fist's network to find what she was looking for. Dimly she was aware that Wrex went sailing into a nearby bulkhead, but the Krogan quickly picked himself back up, hurling himself to the side just in time to avoid a large mechanical fist.

And then she found what she was looking for, "Turrets coming online!"

"How is that supposed to help us!" Was all Wrex bellowed.

"What turrets?" Was Solan's confused statement, but as the two rapid fire, large caliber turrets, began to fire on his suit the Volus realized what turrets. And while they were doing a good job of stripping his shielding his suit was still functioning the heavy armor turning away most of the rounds that hit it. And as the heavy walker aimed the gun arm at one turret a flash of light filled the room as the turret exploded as the large bore rounds slammed into it. The head itself also swiveled to target a completely different turret, which also fared brightly in its death throes.

"Any other bright ideas?" Though before Shepard could comment a sudden flare filled the room, as Ash appeared launching grenade after grenade at a single spot on the mech's back. Shepard realized she was screaming as she hurled herself into the fray, unwilling to let Ash die in some stupid heroic last stand. The spectre ducking underneath a swing of one of the mech's arms, as the pilot attempted to deal with targeting the multiple weapon systems, as he was unable to fire the missile systems in such close quarters without cooking himself in the process.

A quartet of missiles slammed into the side of the suit, compromising the actuator on the left arm, and causing Shepard to quickly follow the smoke trails to a series of drones that had entered the room from where Ash had entered. Taking advantage of the now prone limb Evalyn closed what little distance remained between herself and the suit, slamming one of her remaining charged on top of one of the suits knee joints. The mech's leg though lashed out, sending her thudding into a nearby bulkhead, "Let's hope this works," and with that she activated the charge.

The explosion itself was impressive, but Solan's suit tumbling to the ground as it lost its balance was even more so. And as the suit hit the ground both the mech, and its owned seemed to sigh, as it found itself unable to right itself and fight. A single hiss filled the room as the suit powered down, the Volus' voice coming out of the suits speakers, "I, surrender."

Shepard scowled, but quickly pulled herself up to make her way over to the now opening suit. The Volus' suit was dented and dinged from where some of the turret fire must have gotten through, and the hat Ashley had noticed earlier was actually smoking somewhat from an electrical fire that had began in the cockpit, but she was finding it hard to feel bad for the soccer ball.

Shepard pulled a pair of omni-cuffs from her back, while Spectres weren't cops per se, it was also good to keep a pair on hand in case you had a particularly unruly individual to deal with. As she slapped the cuffs on she fought the urge to rough up the Volus, attempting to remind herself that she didn't need the additional trouble.

It was at that moment that Kaidan entered the room, supporting the weight of an obviously very injured, or sick, Quarian. Tali's suit had had some obvious patchwork done recently, so Shepard was willing to bet that the girl was still recovering from an infection. "I assume we have you to thank for the drones?"

A few coughs were transmitted before she simply nodded, "Kaidan can you watch our new friend here, Wrex and I have some unfinished business with Fist." Kaidan for his part seemed particularly uncomfortable with that statement, but he nodded nonetheless.

"Ash, can you contact C-Sec, they need to come and pick up Solan here." Ash just smirked, giving the Volus a little push with her foot to get him moving, "My pleasure. Come on, Mr. Hat. I'm sure that they are going to love hearing your explanation for firing on a Spectre."

With that out of the way Shepard and Wrex made their way down the hallway, and found themselves standing in front of the only door still locked. Shepard was almost annoyed that he had bothered to lock it with how easy it was to crack, and she honestly couldn't help but cackle as two dockworkers tried to draw on them.

She had already slammed one into a wall before the gun was in his hand, while Wrex just yelled boo at the other, causing the man to shriek on drop his gun.

"Sit down, and you might get out of here without ending up in a C-Sec jail cell!" She hurled her target on top of Wrex's still shrieking victim, "And shut up!"

As they neared the end of the hall she signaled for her drones to move in, and as they swept across the room she quickly took in the two turrets inside, along with fist. But the man had money, not brains, and so she was able to hack into his own turrets using the same backdoor she had found earlier.

The result was both her and Wrex strolling into the room, while Fist's own turrets tracked his every movement. "All right, Sebastian, we are going to play a little game called question, and answer. I ask a question, you answer it," she paused briefly, "And if you don't play, Wrex here will eat you."

Wrex just grinned at that, making sure that the panicking human got a good glimpse of his tooth filled maw.

Fist just trembled against the back wall, "You can't do this, I know people! You'll never be able to find work in Council Space again!" Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose, "Okay, we've already established you're an idiot, lets just move on from there."

"Why did you sell out to Saren, and what did he want that he was willing to pay you that much." Fist looked from her, to Wrex, and back several times, before he realized that she was done talking. "She has some type of recording, she hacked it out of a Geth that was syncing up with their, hive mind thing. I don't know what it is because she encrypted it, but Saren wanted it, he paid me more for this one job than the Broker did for the last ten years combined."

Both Shepard and Wrex glanced at each other at that one, the Broker wasn't stingy, which meant that this was something serious, perhaps even damning enough on its own. But she also knew that Fist was just a middle man, and she highly doubted that one such as Saren would put any faith in the human aside for his greed.

"Alright, I'm satisfied, Wrex, you?" As a single retort filled the room, Fist's dead body slumped to the ground, "Now I am."

Shepard nodded, and the pair began to make their way back to Kaidan, and Tali. "Okay, we're going to swing by a clinic to make sure Tali is alright, then we'll be heading to the Embassy." Wrex just shrugged, clearly indicating it wasn't his fight.

And so Shepard stopped walking, "Wrex, I have a feeling they are going to saddle this mess on to me when we give them this file. So, I'm officially asking right now, do you want in to hunt the most dangerous man in the galaxy?" Wrex just grinned from ear to ear at her, clapping her in the shoulder with one stubby limb, "You always find the best fights, Shepard."

S&S

"First time on Luna, Commander?" The marine checking her credentials asked, though her glare soon put paid to any further attempts at small talk, and as he activated the door to let her in she shook her head at his puppy dog look, such a soldier should not be guarding what could possibly be the biggest achievement in cyberwarfare of the century.

That Evalyn Shepard had unknowingly contributed so much to the project both delighted, and disgusted her, but she could take some amount of pride in knowing that it was her V.I that deserved the credit. Not the monstrosity that Eva had unwittingly created, though as Cora's thoughts turned back to her old school mate she was quite certain that Eva would be rather taken with the A.I in her possession.

As she entered the room one of the nearby techs noticed her, "Commander Addison, we weren't aware that you were coming early." Cora's blue eyes raked over the man in front of her, narrowing at the implication that she should have informed him, "I was unaware that I had to announce myself when arriving at my own project, or did I miss a memo somewhere?" She would have said his name, but she honestly hadn't bothered to learn any of their names, they weren't military, indeed most of them weren't even officially here.

The man visibly paled upon realizing he had unknowingly insulted the scarlet haired woman, "No, Ma'am. I simply meant that we still haven't finished installing the A.I's main components yet, let along the V.I overlay hardware." She simply nodded at that, dismissing him with a gesture as she moved further inside the pre-fab compound. Until she found herself standing in front of the very thing that had made all of this possible, the remnants of two extremely advanced V.I's forcibly merged into a singular entity.

The result was extraordinary.

It was of course only possible because both the Hannibal system, and the Tess system, were both creations of Evalyn that they had fused together so seamlessly, but that should all have been over when the vast majority of the entity's core had been destroyed by some type of explosive device.

Instead though a kernel of it had survived, and over the course of the last several months it had been allowed to grow in intelligence and capacity, under quarantine at the Jump Zero station. But now was the time for the true test, where she would harness the power of this artificial lifeform, using a specially designed V.I that would use the A.I's superior processing power and abilities, while eliminating the chance of rebellion.

She felt a faint flicker of remorse at the thought of the still newborn A.I, it had no clue what was going to happen to it once it was reactivated, but she had come too far to allow such an emotion to stop her.

Still she found herself talking to the deactivated entity, even though the practical part of her mind knew it was pointless. "I'm sorry for what is about to happen, and I know that your, well I suppose she is effectively your Mother would probably kill me for it. But understand that I don't do this out of malice, but because I know just how fragile we humans truly are."

Her hand traced up to her right cheek, the scar tissue there ran over most of her jaw, up to her cheekbone, a gift from the bomb that had detonated during her graduation ceremony.

Cora Addison had until that moment only ever wanted to command a ship, she had dreamed of being a modern day Lord Nelson, but after seeing so many of her classmates dead or dying she had lost all taste for combat. And so she had put her skills as a programmer to work, and while she wasn't up to Evalyn's level when it came to designing virtual entities, she also wasn't obsessed with trying to be friends with them.

Evalyn had been her rival in their academy days, and she had only seen the woman once since then, shortly after Akuze. She had been on Arcturus when they had brought her in, and so she had visited her in the hospital, only to find out that she had been the only visitor to come in for her. A fact that hadn't struck her as all that odd, Eva had few friends among human's as she disliked being treated differently thanks to her ancestry.

She had walked in on the woman half crying, half screaming, as she had been installing by herself the shoulder section of her new cyberware. Cora's gasp had of course caused her to drop the tool she had been holding, and the string of curses that had followed showed how on edge the woman was.

They never said a word for the next hour, Cora merely picked up the tool and began to help, literally, put together one of the few people she respected as an equal, and as a rival. By the time she had left they still hadn't spoken, neither one would know where to begin, but Cora had promised herself that she would do whatever it took to stop atrocities such as these from happening ever again.

And that was why she wouldn't feel remorse for what she did.

But it was also why she spent the next several hours telling stories about Evalyn Shepard to a deactivated A.I. A small measure of kindness she thought, both for it, and for Evalyn.

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit Song: I Am a Stone by Demon Hunter
> 
> Ya I made Fist's place bigger, and for the record that was Solan's small mech, he may eventually show up in a larger suit later. After all who doesn't want a Volus vs. Colossus fight? 
> 
> Saren's bits always annoy me, I need to put them in, but I hate just panning in there for a few hundred words then popping back out. It's not like I'm trying to pad these chapters, but I like whenever I do a side tangent to the main story that it has some weight to it. 
> 
> And I'm confident that most of you can figure out where Cora's chapter is leading to.


	5. Zero Inbound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I started my biannual run through of Quentin Tarantino's films, and I may have realized that I loosely based Kressner off the character of Bill, from the cleverly named 'Kill Bill' series. 
> 
> Which of course has now morphed his wife and daughter, whom we have not met yet, into twisted ME versions of 'The Bride' and 'B.B' in my mind. So ya, just admitting my sources right there, I mean he isn't a carbon copy, but he's got a lot of Bill's habits.
> 
> Liara's coming I swear, eventually, just not this chapter.
> 
> Songs:  
> Aria T'Loak: Rock & Roll Queen by The Subways (She's not in this chapter, it's just a perfect song for her)  
> Intro: Goodnight Moon by Shivaree  
> Hanger: Summertime Killer by Luis Bacalov  
> The aftermath: Your Greatest Enemy is Yourself by Hafiz Hais

S&S

 

Udina didn't even wait for her party to make it inside the doorway before he began his tirade, “Shepard what the hell were you thinking! Gunfights in the wards! An all out assault on Chora's den! I can only be thankful that your marines had the sense to not wear their Alliance gear, but it is only a matter of time before C-Sec figures out who they are!” The man was literally vibrating from rage, though Eva noted that Anderson was simply smirking from his position behind the Ambassador, trying extremely hard not to laugh at the other man.

 

And so she carefully schooled her expression, as she forcibly took her turn to speak cutting off the still ranting man, “Ambassador. I am a Spectre, everything I do supersedes Citadel law, which includes conscripting talented individuals to my cause if need be.” She paused to make sure the man was listening to her. “Now if this blows up in our face then you can be certain that that is exactly what I will say happened, but let me make one thing clear.”

 

She crossed the remaining space between her and the desk, gripping down tightly on the desk's edge with her right hand, a screech of metal accompanying the action, “If this somehow works out perfectly, if I decide to accept my reinstatement into the Alliance, I will never, ever, be your pet. Let the next human you foist into the Spectres be your lapdog, but I am not a person to be fucking trifled with,” she shoved the desk forward, catching Udina's legs with the motion causing him to fall back into his chair.

 

She leaned over the length of his desk, and Ashley would swear that the light was causing her synthetic eye to literally glow, “Do we have an understanding, Ambassador?”

 

Udina for his part didn't flinch, but he simply gave a small nod, “I believe we do, Spectre.” And as though the last conversation had never happened, a frown crossed the man's face upon seeing Tali skulking in the back, “Shepard would you mind telling me what the young Miss in the back is doing here.”

 

Shepard blinked a few times, before realizing he meant Tali, and so she turned beckoning the Quarian to the fore. “Ambassador, this is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, daughter of Admiral Rael'Zorah.” At that statement both Tali, and the Ambassador turned to regard the Spectre, Udina because he was impressed that she had managed to bring him someone whose credibility would be hard to doubt, and Tali because she had met so few people outside of the Flotilla who bothered to even glance at a Quarian, let alone know an Admiral's family.

 

“Did you know who I was from the beginning?” Tali's voice was an odd measure of surprise, and distrust, which honestly amused the human Spectre.

 

“I've kept tabs on you ever since that Noveria job you did, I like to keep track of the leaders in my chosen field.” Tali for her part was a little shocked, she had assumed the human knew of her due to her connection with her Father, not because of her own skills. “Well, I'm flattered I suppose.”

 

Udina sighed, “Fascinating as this is, you had implied earlier that you had something to deal with our, Saren problem.”

 

Tali answered the question before Shepard could even open her mouth, “Yes, it was what I was trying to sell to the Shadow Broker for safe passage off the Citadel. But seeing as how you saved my life it seems only fitting that I help you,” she began to fiddle with some encryption on her omni so that she could access the protected files she needed.

 

As she continued to work she went into an explanation of how she had gathered the data, and while most of them had a glazed look as she had attempted to go into the minutia. Both Shepard, and the younger male human had listened with rapt attention, Shepard for her part even smiled at Tali's attempts to play down her own genius, “Don't sell yourself short Tali, I don't think I could break into the Geth's network like you did.”

 

Of course she didn't mention that her specialty was the development of A.I, not their wholesale destruction. That was a conversation for a different day, but Shepard couldn't help but look forward to it, it had been a long time since she had dealt with a person who's views were so diametrically opposed to her own. Well someone she respected at least.

 

The Quarian for her part gave a small shrug, before tapping the recording to begin playback.

 

A distinctly Turian voice began speaking, _“Eden Prime was a major victory for us, the beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit.”_

 

Anderson, unsurprisingly, could hardly contain himself, “That proves it then, Saren was involved in the attack! And this Conduit, it could be some type of Prothean weapon.” Eva inwardly sighed, David was a good man, but he had been a soldier for so long that he could only think in terms of bombs, and guns. In fact she could think of a dozen different possibilities for what this Conduit could be, and all of the one's that unnerved her did not include a trigger. Especially when you factor in that this was the race whose tiny research outpost had pushed humanities technology ahead by light years, literally.

 

Tali though interjected, “Wait, there's more.” Saren's voice began to replay again, but this time the message continued.

 

“ _And one step closer, to the return of the Reapers.”_ Udina frowned at the feminine voice, “I don't recognize that voice, the one talking about 'Reapers.'

 

Shepard though did, and as flashes from the beacon flickered through her vision she stumbled into a nearby chair as she felt her legs weaken beneath her. All those present moved to help her, aside from Udina simply arched an eyebrow at her, “I take it you do, Spectre?”

 

Shepard nodded a few times, and as the vision stopped swimming before her eyes she finally regained her voice, “It's, Goddess, the voice is Matriarch Benezia T'Soni.” She had only met the Matriarch in person once, and that had been on the day that her Father had died, she seemed like a very kind, but incredibly regret filled individual.

 

What if she was involved?

 

The thought was like a poison in her mind, Liara had mentioned that Benezia had had a negative experience with a Spectre once, could she have been complicit in her Father's murder. An act that Evalyn knew had been done by Saren at the behest of the Council, a fact that tested her oath to the Council ever day, but it was still an oath she had sworn voluntarily, and she was still a Shepard.

 

She cleared the errant thoughts from her mind, realizing that everyone was expecting a more in-depth explanation. She drew in a breath to steady her nerves, before beginning to speak, “I've been investigating the Matriarch on and off for some time now, her behavior has been, off, for a Matriarch of her stature, but there was never anything overtly illegal in her activities. The worst was an attempted kidnapping of her daughter, Liara, supposedly at the Matriarch's behest according to those I questioned. That was also the event that put her on my radar.”

 

Anderson frowned, he could obviously tell that she was holding something back, but he didn't push, especially not in front of Udina. Though as he glanced across the room he noticed that Ashley had an expression on her face that mirrored his own.

 

Udina though must have felt that this was the smoking gun they needed, “I'll convey a message to the Council, let them know of our findings in private before I demand a public audience. After all it seems only fair,” at that statement he shot a smile at Shepard, though it fizzled under the glare the blonde shot his way.

 

Shepard though just sighed, “I'm going home to crash,” she paused, glancing at Tali, “Tali, if you need a place to stay you can come with me.” The Quarian's helmet just stayed fixated on her for a few moments, before hesitantly nodding in agreement, “T-thank you, Spectre.”

 

Shepard just waved her hand in dismissal to the thanks, “It's the least I can do,” she glanced at Ash and Kaidan, “It was a pleasure serving with both of you, even if for just this short time.”

 

Both marines snapped to attention, a gesture with which Shepard returned, before moving out of the room with Tali in tow.

 

Udina for his part just glanced at Anderson, “You and your men can leave as well, Captain. It appears that I have a great deal of work to do, in a much smaller time frame than I anticipated.” As the door closed behind the retrating soldiers Udina allowed a predatory smile to cross his face, his hope of being humanities first Councilor had just became one step closer to reality.

 

S&S

 

Tali was having a rather enjoyable time examining the Spectre's workshop, and she honestly could say that it rivaled anything that she had ever hoped possess one day. She had found herself admiring the numerous prototypes lining the walls, several battle suits, one schematic that appeared to be the foundation for a type of exo-suit to be worn over standard armor, and a string of pistols labeled one through to seven, though the last in the series was missing.

 

“Shepard? Where is number seven?” Shepard glanced up from where she was working at the bench, doing some maintenance on the ridiculously advanced right arm of hers, “Probably still a molten pile of scrap sitting next to this big ass Geth unit, it actually wrecked my helmet completely with just a single rifle butt to my face.”

 

Tali frowned at that, there was so little they knew of what had become of the Geth, and she was one of the most expert minds in the fleet. Having been involved in several raids into the veil in an attempt to gauge the strength of their wayward creations. Little had ever come of it, both the Geth and Quarian's seemingly unwilling to reengage hostilities at this time. But it was the way of things with the fleet, always one group who wished to be the generation to return to the homeworld, the apologists, and those insane enough to propose that the Quarian's return to their roots to deal with the Geth problem.

 

A sudden thud at the door caused Tali to jump, but Shepard had already begun moving ahead of time, and noticing Tali's quizzical body language simply tapped the left side of her head, “Synthetic eye, it's linked in to all the security in the area.” Tali frowned into her helmet, not that cybernetics were uncommon in the flotilla, but Shepard was an oddity in how she just seemed to use them so unnaturally, while most people wanted a replacement, Shepard made an improvement. And if Tali was being honest it was something that she found disturbing, how far until that line of thought turned you into a monster.

 

Shepard's reappearance brought her back to the present, dragging behind her a crate filled with, well an engineer's paradise of parts, along with some components she wasn't familiar with. With a thud she dropped the end of the crate she was hauling before turning towards the younger woman, “Okay, I figured that since you got shot up, and nearly killed because of Saren the least I could do was offer you some, support.” She gave the crate a small kick with her foot, “This has all the gear the two of us should need if we want to upgrade that suit of yours, along with some parts to put some tech-armor emitters on strategic spots on your armor.”

 

Tali just found herself just starring at the human for a few moments, before uttering a confused, “What?” Shepard though misunderstood, “Tech-armor, I suppose it isn't that widespread yet, I built it into a suit that I gave to a friend of mine. Basically it works kind of like an Omni-blade, but instead of a blade it flash fabricates armor plates that it holds in a matrix over top of the emitter. Now yes, people can shoot around it if they get the proper angle, but you set those up well and you can take a lot of punishment you normally wouldn't. And I have to assume it would be doubly useful to a Quarian.”

 

The Quarian just shook her head, “Keelah, no, I meant why? Why are you helping me? I'm not helpless you know, and if it wasn't for that bosh'tet Fist I wouldn't have been captured in the first place.” Shepard just held up her hands in a mock gesture of surrender, which she quickly realized was just pissing off the Quarian more, “I didn't mean to imply that you were helpless, I just wanted to thank you for that transmission, and well I have a slightly less than honorable reason for doing this as well.”

 

Tali's body language just screamed, 'and what pray tell is this other reason,' and so Shepard continued, “I'm almost certain that I am going to be sent after Saren, which mean I will likely be facing a lot of Geth. I know that you have been trained for a long time to fight them, and I also know that your pilgrimage demands you bring back something of value. So I can't help but think that all the combat data, geth parts, and being the first Quarian to actively do battle against them would be pretty worthy contribution.” The Shepard paused for a moment, before casually stating, “I also have enough funds to probably buy you a Cruiser if you don't think any of those options are suitable.”

 

Tali's eyes blinked behind her helmet several times, “I may need to sit down,” at which point she nearly collapsed only to be caught by the Spectre.

 

“Alright, let's get you to the couch.” As the human supported the alien to the couch Tali couldn't help but wonder if the Spectre was being sincere. If she was actually offering her a position on this hunt for one of the most dangerous Spectre's in the galaxy, and as Shepard settled her down to the couch she tilted her head to regard the blonde woman, “Are you being serious, Shepard?”

 

Shepard for her part just smirked at her, before answering, “Of course I am, I'm good with tech, hell that was too modest, I'm amazing with technology. But my expertise was mainly focused on cybernetics and, traditional A.I research. Now that isn't to say I don't understand how the Geth work in theory, but your people made them, you understand all the little cultural tidbits that went into their code. So if I have the chance to snap up one of the most promising Quarian's for this mission, yes you can be certain that I'm being serious.”

 

Tali sighed, “I'm, well I guess I'm just used to people seeing me for my Father than my abilities. It always felt like the fleet thought I only received the training I did because I was Rael'Zorah's daughter, not because of my own skills.” Shepard frowned at that, Tali was an exceptionally gifted woman so she couldn't understand why anyone would think she hadn't earned what she had gained by merit, “Well you can be certain that I want you for your skills here, Tali. And I can understand what it is like to be judged based on one's parents.” The last statement was almost a whisper, and Tali could tell that there was some sort of story behind there.

 

Tali was just about to accept the offer before Shepard spoke again, “I want you to understand something though, this mission will be dangerous, and we will lose people. Saren is the most senior Spectre in the galaxy, and his reputation is well earned, plus there is Benezia too,” Shepard's attention seemed to drift for a moment before she snapped back to reality, “I just don't want you to think that you have to accept out of any debt to me, and I don't want you to misunderstand the risks that are going to be involved.”

 

Tali regarded the human for a few moments before she was content that the human wouldn't interrupt her again, “I understand the risks Shepard, but if you are truly offering me the chance to help rectify my people's mistakes, well I would never be able to forgive myself if I passed up that opportunity.”

 

Shepard nodded, an almost sad smile on her features, “Alright Tali, let's get you armored up then shall we,” the blonde woman moved back towards the workshop, but she paused briefly her voice carrying from her present position, “Just don't spend your whole life fixing the mistakes of your ancestors, eventually everyone needs to let go of the past.”

 

Tali couldn't find any real response to that, but instead she moved over to join the human who was pulling out some extra armor plating, “Okay, now I was thinking of where we are going to put the tech-armor emitters, and the first set I think should be-”

 

The two of them worked on Tali's suit for hours, setting up a fail safe K-barrier for if the primary was knocked out and she took heavy fire to a vital section, additional armor plating across the suit, in addition to the armor emitters that Shepard insisted would be a life savor.

 

As the pair worked they began to banter, comparing their preferred tech attacks, but as one of Shepard's drones buzzed back with a tool in tow Tali finally asked a question that had been bugging her, “Why a physical drone, Shepard? Surely it would be easier to just have a stealth drone program than to use these antiquated things.” If Tali didn't know any better she swore the drone in question drooped lower at her statement, and Shepard's reaction was even stranger, “Don't listen to her Muninn, you are perfectly adequate.” And in front of Tali's eyes the drone perked up, and Shepard caught the Quarian's expression at the drone's antics.

 

“Its all programming, these two just have a rather extensive amount of action, reaction, programming.” She paused, almost considering whether to continue, before quietly commenting, “Guess I just like having something pretend like it is listening to me talk.”

 

Tali for her part was quiet for some time, before slowly nodding, she could understand the loneliness that came from being isolated from others. And she had to assume that what the extranet claimed was at least partially true, in that the woman in front of her had been literally isolated from her past existence since Tali was in her late teens. “It must have been lonely, leaving everything behind.”

 

Shepard glanced toward the Quarian, and without a word simply nodded, before returning to work on the armored plate she had been fiddling with as she tried to shape it to match Tali's left forearm.

 

S&S

 

Garrus shifted uncomfortably as he waited to be brought inside the Turian councilor's office, he had only just gotten back home after stopping by the station when he got the summons. So here he was, in the heart of the Citadel tower, his own blood still staining his armor while he waited to talk to the most important Turian outside of Hierarchy space.

 

Eventually one of the two Turian guards tensed, while it wouldn't be noticeable to most, Garrus spotted it. He knew it meant that he guard was receiving orders, and so the blue armored Turian brought himself to his feet, already moving himself towards the now opening doorway that lead into a spartan office.

 

Executor Pallin was already present, sitting in one of two chairs in front of the Councilor's desk, while Sparatus himself was standing, gazing across the view of the station into the nebula that surrounded the Citadel.

 

“Have a seat, Detective.”

 

Garrus moved forward, attempting to follow protocol and follow the directive given to him like a proper Turian would, though it was always kind of nebulous what tier Sparatus technically belonged to. Not that it was a point that Garrus planned to bring up now, but it was something that had triggered his curiosity, he'd have to look it up later.

 

As Garrus settled into his chair Sparatus turned to regard the two C-Sec officers in his office, “Shepard came through, the recording she found has been looked over by our experts, and the Broker's syndicate sent an expert of their own to verify.” The Councilor sat down at his desk very heavily, “Which means we have a mess on our hands, and very few options to clean them up with.”

 

He glanced at Garrus, “Detective, anything that you hear in this room is not to be repeated elsewhere. Do I have your oath on that.” Garrus blinked a few times, before hastily nodding his ascent.

 

“Alright, this little stunt of Saren's has completely ruined our hopes of courting the Human's into an early alliance with us.” Pallin at that point opened his mouth, but he was silenced by a glare from Sparatus, “The Primarch's aren't blind, they know that we've been the military patsy of this Council since the beginning, but it was seen as preferable than to not have a voice at all,” at that moment Sparatus just looked worn out, he took a long drink from a glass that had been already sitting on his desk, “The Primarch's wanted us to be the surprise vote to get the Human's on to the Council. Undercut the Asari and turn the Council at least a little more towards our favor. The Normandy was the first overture in that effort.”

 

Garrus understood where this was going, “And Saren just gave them a Turian super villain,” both Turian's sent him a confused glare, “I watch human vids, so what?”

 

The Executor just scoffed at that, but he nodded toward the Councilor, “Garrus' viewing habits aside, he is right. To most of Council space you think Turian, and you think of Saren, he's a fucking icon of our people, if he were dead his spirit would be being communed with for guidance before his body was cold.”

 

The other two beings present could only nod in ascent to the Executor's statement, before Garrus finally spoke up about what had been bothering him this whole time, “So, why exactly am I here?”

 

Sparatus though just turned his gaze towards him, “All in due time, but first I have a question for you. What are you thoughts on Spectre Shepard?”

 

Garrus had to pause at that, the human had saved his life, and from the little time he had interacted with her he could tell that she was one of the 'good' ones when it came to Spectres. One that did what was needed to be done, one that didn't get caught up in moralizing their actions, but also not a person who went out of their way to cause mayhem like some Spectres did. He supposed efficient seemed to be the most apt word to describe her, from how she moved, to how she fought everything seemed to be purposeful with the human. Even their little chat had been done in order to ensure his use to her was maximized.

 

“She's good in a fight, and she doesn't seem to care that much for red tape,” at Pallin's frown he continued, “She doesn't seem like she wants to break the law though, just that she's unwilling to let something get in her way.”

 

Sparatus nodded at his statement, “She's been an extremely effective agent, despite my political, and personal misgivings. Indeed I'm amazed she is still even serving us, knowing what I do about my predecessor's actions, but that she is still serving stands as a testament to her loyalty to the Council.” He paused, before saying what the other two Turians knew was coming, “She will be sent to eliminate Saren, and if at all possible subdue Benezia T'Soni. The Alliance are already trying to sink their teeth back into her by granting her a ship and crew, but we need to make sure that at least one Turian is present. That is where you come in Detective.”

 

The Councilor glanced at Pallin, who begrudgingly nodded his ascent, “The Executor here tells me that you are one of his most promising detectives, but you're a trouble maker, and a self-proclaimed 'bad' Turian.” Garrus was unable to hide a smirk at that last comment, which momentarily caused Sparatus to pause, “That however makes you very valuable in this situation, we need a Turian that the Human's can actually,” he seemed to flounder for the word he was looking for, before Garrus supplied, “Like?”

 

Sparatus nodded, “Exactly, we need the Alliance to see not Saren when they think of our race, but of the Turian who went after him. Which means we need someone not only capable, but we need one that has the ability to interact with them on a personal level without constantly reminding them of the Relay 314 Incident.”

 

“They don't like it when we call it that, Councilor.” Sparatus for his part half sighed, half chuckled, “This is why we have selected you for the task.” Garrus frowned at that statement, yes he understood what he was meant to do, but how was he supposed to get on Shepard's crew if the Alliance was providing her with soldiers. “How exactly am I meant to do that, Sir? If she already has a crew supplied why would she want a C-Sec detective, my outstanding marksmanship skills aside.”

 

Pallin threw him a glare, “I'm certain if that doesn't peak her interest your attitude, and humility will. You're going to have to work at it Garrus, the Council session isn't until tomorrow and we just got word that an old contact of hers has arrived on the Citadel.”

 

Pallin tapped his omni a few times, bringing up a rap sheet of a human biotic by the name of 'Jack.' “This human female and Shepard have worked together several times in operations against Cerberus, but it seems that the girl's luck has run out and they are right behind her. She is on a shuttle that is set to dock in the next hour. We have to assume she is here trying to gain protection from the Spectre, but Cerberus we suspect is already here to ensure she doesn't make it to Shepard.”

 

Sparatus tossed a control diode to one of the Council's personal shuttles, “You have your in, Garrus. Save the girl, bring her to Shepard, and broach the topic of joining in the hunt. For the Hierarchy.”

 

Garrus gave a quick nod, grabbing the item from the desk and hurrying out the door so that he could set up at the spaceport in question.

 

As the door slid shut Pallin turned to glare at the Councilor, “This may cost me a good officer, Councilor.” Sparatus for his part simply nodded before finishing off whatever was in the glass from earlier, “He's doing his duty, Venari, and if that duty is to die in order for us to have a matry to throw in front of the galaxy then so be it.”

 

Pallin though was quiet for a few minutes, before standing up to move over to the window on the other side of the Councilor's desk, “That wasn't what I meant.”

 

S&S

 

Kaidan and Ashley had finally found the bar that the rest of the Normandy's marine detachment was holed up in, though Kaidan couldn't hold back his snort upon seeing the sign, a battered looking wooden clover that he had to assume was against Citadel building codes.

 

“Something funny, LT?” The brunette's voice caused him to nod, “I don't know how, but Chief Reilly always manages to find a Pub.” Ashley for her part was glad of the choice of location, she was starving and really didn't want to risk eating anything, alien.

 

As they entered into the dimly lit bar they quickly spotted the quartet of marines who had not been too injured during the combat in Constant.

 

Chief Reilly was holding court at the moment, telling a tale to Private Marks and Silver, while the lone Corporal Mills was gathering another round from the bartender, who was surprisingly an Asari, and was wearing the most clothes Kaidan had ever seen for her race.

 

As Reilly slammed his mug down to the table to illustrate a point the other two began laughing hysterically, while Mills rolled her eyes as she rejoined them at the table. And as the Corporal was taking her seat she spotted the two of them, her eyes lit up as she waved them over, which of course attracted Reilly's attention as well.

 

“Lieutenant! Get your ass over here, these boys here think they can beat you at darts!” As the two of them took their seats Mills slid two of the mugs she had been fetching towards them, causing both Privates to protest, though Ash just smugly grinned at them, “Privileges of rank, boys.”

 

Reilly's eyes fixed on her, “You're the one who served with the Spectre aint ya?” Ashley considered how to answer for a moment before nodding, “We went through basic together, but I didn't even know she was still alive until that Geth smashed her helmet to pieces.”

 

Marks pipped up at that, “I saw that, that freaking robot was like a train plowing through that shield!”

 

“She's just lucky that its gun didn't use thermal clips, otherwise it would have just shot her instead of cracking her in the face with the butt.” Mill's voice was cool, seemingly unimpressed with the Spectre.

 

And Ashley noticed she wasn't the only one frowning at that, Reilly had pointed a finger at the corporal, “That girl is god damn royalty as far as you are concerned, her Father is probably the only reason we were ready for the damn spikes!”

 

“Cut the political shit out! Or I'm cutting you off.” The voice of the bartender broke up the conversation, though Reilly just seemed flustered from the interruption, “Terribly sorry, Ma'am.” He drawled at the Asari, who flashed him a brief smirk at his attempts to smooth the waters.

 

Kaidan though had turned to Ashley, “So, what was Shepard like in boot? I mean that must have been just a little bit after the bombing.” Ashley nodded, “Word is the brass offered her a spot in R&D, pretty much free reign until she was technically senior enough to run the division. But she declined, wanted to make a real 'difference' was what she said,” Ashley sighed, memories of that vacant look in Shepard's eyes back then, “I think she was just trying to feel something, losing that many people who you had known for years.” Her voice trailed off, and those who had served for long enough knew that silence.

 

Reilly surprisingly patted her hand, “It's understandable lass, I've gone through it myself, I watched the fucking Hero of Elysium go through it as her little militia she made died around her. I was lucky, stuck down below in the old maintenance tunnels of Illyria trying to bring back online the planetary cannons, not sure if I could 'ave made it through that meat grinder of a bridge on the surface.”

 

Ashley could feel tears pricking at her eyes, but she forced out a light laugh as she glanced around, “So can we get menu's here? Or do they not serve food?” The statement was as transparent as the water trying to run down her face, but no one questioned it. Nor did anyone question when a Salarian server dropped two menu's in front of the latecomers, “We don't do requests.”

 

Kaidan glanced at Reilly about the statement, but the engineer just shrugged. Soon enough their orders were placed, Kaidan ordering a ridiculously large steak, shrugging off the size by simply stating he was a biotic. While Ashley ordered the most mouth watering burger on the menu.

 

While they waited, Kaidan began to toss some darts with the privates, and Ashley continued to drink easily achieving a buzz thanks to the lack of food in her system.

 

“Okay chief, that's two hundred credits you owe us.” Reilly for his part just glanced at Kaidan, who gave a small smirk to the older man.

 

“Alright boys, double or nothin on this last round, what do ya say?” Ashley had to suppress a laugh as the two privates began to confer amongst themselves, interested to see what kind of scam the LT and Chief were running, and if the privates were too greedy to realize it.

 

Marks turned to the Chief, “Deal, if both of us get a turn first.”

 

Reilly nodded with a smile, “Deal.”

 

As the two privates took their turns, respectably lowering their scores Kaidan stepped up, holding the dart up in his left hand to throw. Reilly though stepped in, “Lieutenant, you going to toss proper for once tonight? Or what?” And as Kaidan swapped throwing hands for the first time that night, Ashley snapped a picture of the horrified expression frozen on the privates faces, both her and Mills snickering at the privates as Kaidan proceeded to mop the floor with them over the next few rounds.

 

And as the two grumbling enlisted men were counting out the money to give to the Chief, Kaidan made his way back over to Ashley, just in time for the food to arrive.

 

And as they both dug in to the meal in front of them Ashley couldn't help but ask, “So, where did you learn to play?”

 

Kaidan paused for a moment to swallow, “When we first arrived at Brain camp,” he pulled a small face realizing the name he called it, “I mean Jump Zero, they didn't have much of anything set up except for the base essentials and the training equipment. Some of us found this old rec room back from when they were trying to break the FTL conundrum, so we ransacked what we could and hid it in our rooms. Good thing too, first thing the ever did if they were trying to punish us was take down the local extranet grid.”

 

Ashley chewed on both his words, and her burger for a little bit, “I haven't heard much good about what happened out there, Eva's an L3, said that her Mother hid her status until they had shut the program down, I just don't understand what drove people to treat kids that way.”

 

“Fear.” Kaidan's voice had a quality of steel to it that she wasn't used to in the short time she had known him, “You don't see it much within the military, most soldiers can look past the whole manipulating the world thing because it saves their lives. Regular people don't see that, they see monsters that can hide among them.” He sighed, “I've seen that look directed at me a few times, even a few times from fellow biotics, so I guess that really makes me a freak.”

 

Before Ashley could say anything her omni crackled, “Ash, it's Evalyn. I need support at the Sabnon spaceport in Zakera ward, I'm forwarding you temporary credentials and a line of credit, buy whatever gear you need and get over here pronto!”

 

Ashley's body had already begun to act on instinct, Eva had always been in charge back in boot, with Ash filling the role of senior NCO. She paused to glance at Kaidan, “You want in LT?” She honestly expected him to say no, so when the Lieutenant stood up and gave her a firm nod she wasn't too proud to admit that her estimation of his character jumped a bit.

 

He glanced at the remaining marines, obviously weighing in on whether or not he should pull them in too, but Ashley shook her head, “Shepard will probably be okay with you, she knows what you can do, but she doesn't like unknown variables. And they deserve the break, I can't imagine their time on Eden Prime was any easier than ours.”

 

Kaidan sighed, but nodded, “Alright, Chief. First things first, we need some guns.”

 

Ashley's face split into a grin, “Don't you know how to get a lady going, LT.” And she threw her had back in laughter as the man's face lit up from a blush.

 

S&S

 

Jack was pacing down in the shuttle's hold like a caged animal, she needed to contact Shepard, but she didn't want to risk it until she was on the station itself. Worried that if she contacted the Spectre while still in transit then Cerberus would have an even better idea of where she was touching down, right now her only hope was that they still were unaware of what shuttle she was on.

 

Glancing down at her shaking hands she cursed to herself, she barely had enough energy to stand, let alone any hope of pulping some Cerberus bitches with her mind.

 

Her omni pinged lightly as the shuttle began its final approach to the station, “Now or never, Jack.” She quickly swiped the Spectre's comm code, and sat there starring at the icon praying that the blonde picked up, “Come on you fucking bitch.”

 

A few moments later a small noise indicated that the call had been accepted, “Jacqueline? What's wrong?” A small smile twitched at Jack's lips now that the Spectre was involved. Shepard was the only person who had managed to defy expectation and not let the young biotic down, and Jack could only hope that this time would turn out the same way.

 

“Shepard, I'm in deep shit. Cerberus has been dogging me for weeks, I managed to lose them on Omega but I have a feeling they are waiting for me on the Citadel.” She was quiet for a few moments before adding, “I won't let them take me back, I can't let them take me back.” Her voice was steel, if there was one promise she would keep to herself it was to never be used by Cerberus again.

 

“Jacqueline, no one is taking you, tell me where you are!” She could hear Shepard telling someone in the background to get ready for a fight, “Jack! Where are you!”

 

The woman's use of her shortened name focused the biotic again, “We're landing at the Sabnon spaceport in Zakera, and Shepard, you're going to need backup. I think I saw that ninja guy again.”

 

Shepard's voice was a string of mixed curses in both English, and Armalian, “He shouldn't even be able to fucking walk, christ next time I'm cutting off his head.” A few moments passed as Shepard collected herself, “Okay, Jacqueline I'm on my way now, I'm calling in some backup too but I don't know how long it will take for them to arrive. Just, just don't do anything stupid, alright?”

 

With that the Spectre cut the connection, and Jack could picture her rushing around the room suiting up like some damn hero from the vids. But Jack knew that real life wasn't like the vids, and monsters won more often then they lost. But she wasn't about to go down without a fight, and maybe she could take a few of her fellow monsters down with her.

 

As she ship settled down Jack grabbed the emergency release on one of the side doors, and using some of the last reserves of energy in her body she hurled herself from the ship still landing ship to hit the ground near the rear of the hanger.

 

The massive room was poorly lit, thanks to the run down condition of the spaceport, as well as the fact it was the middle of the station's night cycle. And so Jack moved slowly across the room, keeping to the shadows of the shipping crates scattered across the room, but as she neared the closest door she bit back a curse. As standing between her and freedom was three Cerberus troopers in their white heavy armor, the same armor she would have crushed without a thought if she was at one hundred percent, but today it was as potent a barricade as the hanger's walls.

 

“Give up, Subject Zero. If you come peacefully it will make this whole process so much easier.” She didn't know who was speaking, but whoever it was she already hated. She tried to slip back towards the hanger center, only to realize that there were more troopers all around her, moving through the room in a loose but ever tightening circle.

 

And in the middle of the circle was the ninja asshole, Jack grit her teeth contemplating a suicide rush at him just to show Cerberus what she thought of coming peacefully, but in her distracted state one of the soldiers had come up behind her and grabbed her.

 

“Sir! I've got her!” Jack struggled to break out of the man's grip, but between her weakened state and the man's augmented strength from his armor it was a hopeless cause. That was until a single retort filled the room, and the side of Jack's face was splattered with blood, “Move it Jack! I've got you covered.”

 

Jack had no idea who the fuck was yelling, but she could tell it was Turian, and while she had no idea why the hell a Turian was helping her she decided not to fucking question it. And so while she fought to disentangle herself from the body that was still upright thanks to the armor it was encased in, several more shots filled the room as the Cerberus soldiers scurried to take cover.

 

Garrus who had found himself a perch up in the catwalks above the hanger was whittling down the helpless fools who still had yet to find cover, his scope finding his targets with grace as his talon tapped on the trigger to end yet another terrorist moron. But even the dimmest of sentients can eventually figure out that the muzzle flashes in the ceiling must be where the sniper fire is coming from, and so he had already begun to shift positions after the fourth goon hit the floor.

 

The human for her part had taken cover in a section of the room that was no longer encircled, and she was trying to keep the human radicals at bay with SMG fire, though judging by how her vitals were reading through his visor she was in rough shape.

 

Garrus had only just shifted positions when he took out a trooper who had gotten too close to comfort to the girl, but the now dead human's proximity had a benefit as the girl hauled the ex-human's rifle towards her, finally giving her something that could punch through her attackers' armor.

 

“Payback time, bitches!” At the first shot the recoil nearly knocked the rather small human off her feat, but like any true survivor she quickly adapted, using a crate as a brace she fired in tight bursts to keep the white armored soldiers from advancing.

 

“Throwing smoke!” Garrus frowned at the modulated voice that called out, and as a canister hit the ground a haze began to fill the hanger below him. Garrus though just grinned, “Amateurs,” as he swapped his visor to heat mode.

 

Three more hazy orange/red figures fell, before the smoke began to dissipate. The Cerberus soldiers finding themselves simply down more members than when they had first thrown the smoke, while having gained no ground towards their objective. It was at this time that the slim human with the eyeware began to stalk forward, and as his face moved upwards to fix itself on Garrus the Turian suddenly knew he was in trouble.

 

The man tensed for a second before charging forward, leaping on to a single shipping container before hurling himself upwards to catch on to the edge of the catwalk near Garrus, hauling himself up with inhuman speed. The Turian of course was not idle in this time, swinging around he launched a round directly into the man's shoulder, only to be rewarded with one of the most bored sounding grunts in his life. “Crap.”

 

The man didn't even reach for the sword in his back, instead he lashed out with a fist that sent the Turian sprawling backwards along the catwalk, his rifle slipping from his hands to land on the catwalk between them.

 

The human began to advance, “You should have stayed out of this Turian,” his hand moving to his back to draw his sword, “Any last words?”

 

Garrus coughed out a laugh, “Ya, Impact shot,” and in a single flash of light the gun on the ground roared catching the human's foot, the force of the anti-barrier round flipping him forward to crash face first into the catwalk.

 

Garrus of course wasn't waiting for him to get up, instead he drew and began to fire his pistol into the form in front of him, and as his pistol began to beep angrily from overheating Garrus could only stare in horror as the figure began to rise to his feet. The bullet holes riddling his exposed skin showed nothing but the synthetic tissues below fake flesh, but before the synthetic man could take a step forward a voice rang across the room.

 

“Leng! Your fight is with me!” The human, Leng, expression lit up with delight as he turned to regard Shepard's figure that stood silhouetted against the open doorway, a Quarian that Garrus assumed had to be Tali standing next to her.

 

Leng began to stride along the catwalk towards the Spectre, leaping from it to land lightly in front of her, the woman paid no attention to the act however. Instead turning towards Tali, “Go and get Jack, I'll deal with this one.”

 

Leng just smirked, “I don't think so, Shepard.”

 

The two of them began to slowly circle outwards, Shepard's held her rifle at the ready in her left while an omni-shield filled the gloom around her with an orange glow. Leng for his part held his sword in his right hand, while a wrist mounted gun on his left was held at the ready in case he was forced to fight from a distance.

 

“So, can't help but notice but you somehow managed to become even uglier.” Shepard's voice was injected with levity, but her eyes were picking apart what synthetic tissues she could see, and judging from how he was moving she was beginning to worry that perhaps everything but Leng's brain was now cybernetic.

 

Leng through realized that she was stalling, and he reveled in the idea that the mighty Shepard was afraid, “After our little fight on the Nova, I had some upgrades done.” Shepard though just smiled at that statement, “You mean after I kicked your ass, crippled you, and you had to get dragged out of there by a woman. Ya, I can see why they had to rip off all of your limbs to make you useful at your job following that series of events.”

 

She knew what was coming after that, and she had already brought her shield up to block the strike that would have bisected her, her body flaring as she slammed a push field into him to gain some distance. Her rifle flaring ineffectively as the rounds punctured, but seemingly did little to slow him down, or as she began realize fully in that moment, Leng wasn't capable of being slowed down anymore, only killed.

 

She blocked another blade strike, only to catch a fist to her unarmed jaw, cursing her lack of a helmet as she was forced to stumble back, finding herself unable to block the follow up slash that dug deeply into her right leg.

 

And as Shepard bit out a pain filled she spotted Tali's form as she helped to support Jack out the door.

 

S&S

 

Jack kept tossing glances back over her shoulder as the Quarian pulled her away from the fight, “We need to help Shepard, that ninja freak is too dangerous, even for her!” But Tali just shook her head, “She told me to get you out of here, and that is what I intend to do.”

 

“There she is, get her!” Both women turned around, to find more Cerberus troopers coming down the hallway towards them, “Bosh'Tets!”

 

Tali quickly pulled the two of them behind a support column to give them some cover, but as she set Jack down to the ground she could see the tremors visibly wracking the woman's body. Unfortunately she had no time to actually find out what was wrong with her, as she pulled the shotgun from her waist to prepare for the first Cerberus soldier to advance.

 

Her omni flaring briefly as several drones flickers to life, launching a salvo of flash constructed missiles towards the advancing humans. Tali herself lashed out with an energy drain, the stolen charge diverted to extra capacitors that she and Shepard had installed only hours before.

 

And she honestly thought things were going well before a sudden yell came from the massed human soldiers, “Turret up!” Tali risked another glance into the hall to find that the troopers had literally been shielding from view an engineer who had set up a heavy support turret at the end of the hallway. And as rounds began to fill the hallway she was forced to duck behind the pillar, sliding down to the ground she grit her teeth, “Get it together, Tali. There is always a solution.”

 

An idea suddenly struck her, and she quickly began to alter her drones programming to charge instead of hanging back, she adjusted a few final minute details and then she let loose her response to the turret.

 

Half a dozen angry red drones formed, and they all in unison began to travel down the corridor at their best possible speed. The turret managed to chew through one of them immediately, causing the drone to detonate prematurely, as did another one when one of the Cerberus soldiers shot one of them as it passed him, taking out both the drone and two nearby troopers.

 

But just before the drones reached the turret an orange barrier suddenly flickered before it, and as the drones detonated Tali saw the barrier flicker and fail, but the turret continued to fire.

 

“Keelah, I am not going to die on this station.” She readied her shotgun, and began to prep her most potent tech programs. But suddenly a large boom sounded from the opposite end of the hallway, and the immediate result was the sudden and violent death of the turret she had been trying to take down.

 

“Got it!” She leaned out into the hallway briefly to see who was it that had taken the shot, only to see the other human woman who had been with Shepard in what looked to be a powered suit of Asari armor making her way down the hall, a massive cannon held low in both of her armored hands.

 

Behind her holding a pistol at the ready was the man who had gotten her out of her cell, and though he was still in his civilian clothes Tali could see the telltale sign of a biotic barrier shimmering around him. While Ashley engaged with the Cerberus troopers cackling madly as she did so, Kaidan rushed over to where she and Jack were situated, “Tali? You okay.” Tali nodded a few times before nodding towards Jack, “She's in pretty rough shape.”

 

Kaidan's eyes swept over the tattooed covered woman's form, and he could see the obvious signs of a biotic whose metabolism was literally ravaging their own body from lack of calories. He pulled one of his emergency pouches from his belt, pulling the tap off and tilting it towards her lips, “You need something in your system, drink this.”

 

Jack almost greedily slurped it down, and while the tremors continued she was at least a little more in control of herself, “Fuck, who would have thought I'd be saved by a boy scout.”

 

Kaidan glanced at Tali, “I've got her, you okay to help Ashley?” Tali gripped her weapon tightly and nodded, standing up to follow the trail of destruction that the brunette had left behind her. And as Tali reached the hanger she triggered the tech-armor that Shepard had added on to her suit, the blazing orange plates flicker across her body.

 

There were only a few stragglers left in the hallway, both of whom she felled quickly as she strode forward, her shotgun finishing them off after she had drained them of their shields. She took a deep breath to steady herself as she reactivated the hanger's door and stepped inside.

 

But none of her training could have prepared her for the carnage the filled the hanger, Ashley was literally lying next to the ship that Jack had come in on, a massive dent from where her armored form had been tossed into it.

 

A Turian that Tali didn't recognize was struggling to free himself from the remains of a catwalk that had collapsed, and the room itself was literally torn to shreds as if some massive storm had swept in from space.

 

All that paled to the battle being waged in the middle of the room.

 

Shepard's guns were long gone, two omni-blades emerging from her arms her only weapons. While Leng's left wrist was a charred stump ending at his elbow, his sword had been snapped off in the middle, the other portion firmly embedded in Shepard's shoulder.

 

The blonde's hair had escaped the tie she had kept it in, causing her to look somewhat crazed as she blocked another attempt to Leng to strike at her, retaliating with a flurry of her own which caused even more blood to run down her armor from where the blade fragment was jutting out.

 

As the two combatants separated once again the male's gaze fell on to the Quarian, he almost seemed disappointed, “Another interloper, you people really need to stay out of fights where you don't belong.” He dashed towards her faster than Tali thought possible, Shepard's warning coming almost too late, “Tali! He's a synth!”

 

And if there was one thing Tali was good at, it was wrecking synthetics, and so she her omni flared as she thrust her hand forward dumping every bit of non-essential electrical potential her suit had into a single target, that of the approaching human.

 

To an observer it would have appeared as if a stream of lighting was arcing from Tali's omni-tool into the Cerberus assassin, causing an eerie electrical blue glow to fill the dim room.

 

Leng's body writhed as a the attack overloaded the safeties that had been put in place to halt the effectiveness of an attack like this, his eye implants literally exploding, smoke billowing from them as the delicate instruments were ripped apart by the lightning like attack.

 

And as his body tilted forward to hit the ground with a thud Tali let out a sigh of relief, that is until a pistol tapped against the back of her helmet.

 

“Leng, get up. We're leaving.” The voice was female, but modulated so heavily it would be impossible to clean out the distortion. Shepard made a step to move forward but a tutting sound came from the figure behind Tali, “Now, now, Spectre. We don't want something to happen to the Admiral's daughter do we.”

 

“Leng, stop being a fucking baby and stand up.” And to Tali's dual astonishment, and horror the still smoking figure on the ground did. But it was obvious that her attack had done serious damage as he moved in an almost stuttering motion, “The boss is not happy, your orders were to get Jack, or disengage. Not try to settle your little squabble with Shepard.”

 

As a duo of troopers rushed forward to assist Leng in leaving Tali swore she could hear amusement from the figure behind her, “That was a nice attack, Miss Zorah. But you've probably made an enemy for life there, I'd plan accordingly.” And with that, both the pistol and the figure disappeared, the door already closing before Tali could turn around.

 

Tali first rushed over to Shepard who lay slumped against a crate, the woman simply waving off Tali's attempts to help, “I've already called in a medevac, just go and see if you can help Garrus, he's the guy trapped over in the corner.” But before Tali could move she felt Shepard grab her arm, “You got Jack out of here right?” There was fear there, but it was being kept tightly under control.

 

That fear left at Tali's nod, “I left her with Kaidan, last I saw he was pulling her out of here.”

 

“Good, that's good. You should probably go help Garrus now.”

 

Tali rushed over to the collapsed catwalk, and could only stare at the mess the Turian was trapped under, “Keelah, how did you manage this?” There was a dry chuckle that emerged from the structure before her, “I really pissed him off, I shot that stupid sword of his when he stabbed Shepard in the shoulder, not sure if it did more harm than good, but it really pissed him off.”

 

Tali's omni flickered as she activated the torch function on it, and she had only barely freed the blue armored Turian by the time the medics arrived to take them all to the nearest secured facility, Shepard having called up Kaidan to tell him where to meet them at. The human Lieutenant had apparently managed to evade the Cerberus forces with Jack in tow, the two of them actually ended up beating them to the hospital that Shepard had sent them to.

 

And so it came to be that Tali joined the Lieutenant who was already sitting in the waiting room, while the medics saw to the other members of their little group.

 

S&S

 

Shepard cursed as she tried to sit up, strips of medi-gel patches covered her body from where Leng's blade had found its way to her flesh. “Nice to see you finally awake,” Shepard turned her head to see Jack lying in the bed next to her, a soft smile on the girl's lips.

 

“Ya, nice to be awake.” Shepard grimaced again as she tried to move, eliciting a laugh from the biotic, “Just sit fucking back down, Shepard. Or do you have someplace to be?” Shepard glowered at her, “As a matter of fact I do, the Council is meeting with Udina and I need to be there.” Taking a deep breath she forced herself upwards, fighting both the remains of the drugs in her system and the pain itself.

 

Jack began to pull off the various leads on her body as well, quickly standing up to help support the older woman, “Jesus, Shepard. The universe isn't going to end if you don't get there on time.”

 

Shepard grimaced as flickers of the beacon's message flashed before her mind, causing her to stumble further into the biotic's hands, “It just might, Jacqueline.”

 

Having no other option for clothing Shepard winced as she pulled on the form hugging armor mesh that formed the initial layer of her armor, not wanting to go walking through the Citadel wearing her blood splattered, highly damaged armor. Jacqueline for her part just pulled on the light armor that she had been wearing in the hanger, the same suit Shepard had gifted her with months prior.

 

“The Turian, Garrus, I guess, already left. Said he would talk to you later, the crazy brown haired bitch is still under. But the docs seemed to think she would be fine, just needed to sleep.” Shepard nodded in thanks for the info, and the pair began to make their way out of the hospital.

 

As they cleared into a nearby waiting room Jack smirked, “Hey, it's the boy scout.” And as Shepard followed her gaze she laughed a little, Kaidan was slumped in the one of the chairs, his feet propped on another one he had pulled to be across from him, “His name is Kaidan, Jacqueline.”

 

As if summoned by the sound of his name the male biotic stirred, his eyes blearily focusing on the two women in front of him. Though as he realized who it was he attempted to stand, only for his feet to get caught in his footrest, sending him tumbling to the floor. And as he sheepishly stood up the glanced around awkwardly, “Nice to see you Ma'am, and it is good to see you up as well, Miss?”

 

The question was obvious, but when Jack made no move to answer Shepard nudged her, “Be nice, he did save your life.”

 

Jacqueline practically pouted, but nodded, “Name's Jack boy scout,” she jerked her head at Shepard, “She's the only one who gets to call me Jacqueline, just so you don't make any mistakes on that front.”

 

Shepard glanced around the room, “Where's Tali?” And Kaidan himself glanced around confused, “She was here before I, well fell asleep.”

 

But any potential reprimand was averted by a sudden buzzing in Shepard's ear indicating that someone was contacting her, and holding up her hand for silence from the other humans in the room she answered, “Shepard here.”

 

Udina's voice blustered into her ear, “Where the hell are you Shepard? Your Quarian is here but without you I can't formally submit the evidence! I will not be made a fool of a second time just to appease the Council!” Shepard groaned cutting off the man's tirade, “We're on our way now Ambassador, the good Lieutenant is simply getting us a skycar now. Expect us in twenty minutes, I'm certain that the Council can find someone on today's docket to move forward.” With that she ended the call, and Jack began to lead them out of the room, Kaidan having picked up on her hint earlier to leave and grab a vehicle.

 

As the two women found their way outside they quickly located Kaidan who was in an argument with a Turian C-Sec officer for his parking job. “Sir, I don't care if this is an emergency you can't park here.”

 

Shepard called out across to the pair, “Spectre business officer, I'd appreciate it if you could get the hell out of my way.” With that she slipped into the passenger seat, while Jack hopped in the back, Kaidan took the hint and quickly jogged to the driver side starting the vehicle as he slipped behind the controls.

 

“I'm still giving you a fine!” The officer glowered at the trio, but Jack just flipped him off, “We don't give a shit.”

 

After the car lifted from the ground, ushering them on their way towards the tower the blonde turned around to lock eyes with the younger woman, who was leaning forward resting he head on an arm settled across the back of the front seat, a satisfied smirk on her features, “Was that necessary?”

 

Jack's smirk just widened, “No, but it was fun.” But under Shepard's continued gaze she wilted, “Sorry.” Shepard gave a small nod before she turned back around to look towards their destination.

 

“Shepard?” Jack's voice was almost smaller than it usually was, “Yes, Jacqueline?”

 

A long pause followed, before the biotic once again began to speak, “About that, offer. Is it still on the table?” Shepard felt a smile tug at her lips, she had offered to help Jack get into the Alliance after their last mission, knowing that even they wouldn't pass up a biotic of her caliber, even if the opportunity was being presented by an alien Spectre. Now she knew that it was a certainty that they would accept her, especially given what had just transpired.

 

“Of course it is,” she turned a smirk on her features, “In fact I may just bring it up with the Ambassador today if you really do want it.”

 

Conflicting emotions played across Jack's features, the girl wanted freedom thanks to what Cerberus had done to her, but she also wanted to be a part of something if her actions before they had met were any indicator. And since she had met Shepard she had been relatively well behaved, space station incident notwithstanding.

 

“Ya, I want it.” Shepard patted Jack's arm with a smile, “I'm glad to hear that, Jacqueline.”

 

“Don't get all mushy on me, Shepard. I'm just sick of running from dogs is all.”

 

“I'm sure that is the reason, Jacqueline,” Shepard responded, a smile pulling at her lips.

 

Kaidan made a small noise to get both of their attention, “Do you need to transmit an I.D or something, because these C-Sec vehicles are looking none too happy that we are approaching the tower.” Shepard groaned, quickly punching in her codes to the two patrol vehicles that ensured that no one approached the tower, failure to comply of course resulted in the towers defenses blowing the offending vehicle or vessel out of the sky.

 

As the two cars instead fell into an escort pattern Shepard indicated to Kaidan for him to follow them, which he did until he brought the vehicle in for a landing at the specified platform on the tower. “Okay, we have to hurry, Udina is going to be pissed if we are late.”

 

“Ya, can't keep the politician waiting, what's he going to do speech us to death.” Jack's muttering caused Shepard to roll her eyes, but Kaidan let out a small chuckle at it, “Don't encourage her, Kaidan.”

 

As they emerged from one of the side entrances to the Council chambers they were quickly spotted by Anderson, “Hurry up, Udina's already meeting with them.” Shepard took off at a jog, her outfit drawing a few stares but most of them just shrugged, having seen more revealing outfits from Vasir on a somewhat regular basis.

 

And so Shepard was walking on to the platform just as Tali was finishing off playing the file, Tevos and her shared a knowing look in regards to the identity of the second voice, which let Shepard know that Udina had not divulged the Matriarch's identity during his initial spiel.

 

Udina thrust a finger forward, “You wanted proof, there it is.”

 

And so Tevos sighed, her face in the correct mixture of worry, and resolution, “I recognize the second voice, it is Matriarch Benezia, a very respected Asari, with many followers.”

 

Sparatus sighed, “With this evidence the Council concurs with the Alliance that Saren has acted against both the Systems Alliance, and the Council. His status will be stripped, his assets frozen, and he will be hunted from one end of the galaxy to the other until justice has claimed him.”

 

Valern just waved his hands in dismissal at the hyperbole, “Yes, but what was this about Reapers? Why are they so important that Saren would risk so much to get them back?” Shepard gripped the railing as the word caused another flash of the beacon's images, but this time she realized that the word 'Reaper' had been the trigger. Could that have been the name of the synthetics from the vision?

 

But this was not the time or place to bring these visions up, especially not when Tali dropped another bomb. “According to some further data I managed to decode last night the Geth revere the Reapers as gods, as the pinnacle of Synthetic life.” The young Quarian paused before tentatively continuing, “The Geth believe the Reapers were the ones who wiped out the Protheans, and then they just vanished.” Shepard turned to the Quarian in shock, but from her body language she realized that Tali must have only discovered this information after the battle, and upon its discovery had gone to tell the Ambassador.

 

Sparatus didn't seem to take that explanation very well, “Why have we never heard of them then? Where are they? I find it hard to believe that a race of supposedly intelligent machines like the Geth would put their existence at risk over some fable.”

 

Shepard spoke, and it was not lost by the crowd that she was interceding on the Alliance's behalf, “Then it means that Saren either had proof that these Reapers are indeed real, or has found some way to control the Geth, perhaps through this belief of theirs.”

 

Valern nodded in agreement at her assessment, “I concur with, Shepard. Likely Saren is using the Geth to accomplish his real goal, perhaps something to do with this Conduit.”

 

Tevos inclined her head also, “Yes I feel that she is correct as well, and I believe that our Spectre here has chosen her newest task.” She briefly glanced at Sparatus who nodded his ascent, “Spectre Shepard, your mission will be to track down the traitor Saren Arterius. Use any means necessary to see the completion of this task, show the galaxy the price of betraying the Council.”

 

Shepard bowed low, miming the Asari form that she had been taught years prior, “Of course, Councilors.”

 

“We will speak more of this in private, but for now this meeting is adjourned.”

 

Udina let out a sigh of relief, “Well, that could have gone worse. Thank you, Miss Zorah, that last minute find of yours was most beneficial. I'll see to it that the flotilla is given access to some much needed supplies, if that is an acceptable gesture of thanks.”

 

Tali stuttered a few times before nodding, “Yes, Ambassador, it would be greatly appreciated.”

 

“I'm glad to hear that,” he inclined his head briefly to Shepard, “Spectre, come by my office when you are ready to talk about this mission of yours. For now, well you have my thanks for coming back to the fold.”

 

Shepard reached out to half his exit, and she made sure to use her right hand, “One moment, Ambassador.”

 

“Shepard.” He almost growled at her, but she held firm, “There is a human woman, known by a few aliases, one Subject Zero. I'm going to want her on this mission, and for that she is going to need a pardon for both Council and SA space. I also want to induct her into the Alliance proper, she can go through all the officer training later, but for now I want her on my ship.”

 

Udina bristled at her request, “Shepard you just can't demand me to induct her into the military, do you know the shit the admiralty will bury me under if I try this.” Shepard just laughed at that, “I just need you for the pardons, I've known half the current Admirals since I can remember being able to walk, and trust me when I tell them who I'm offering they'll be tripping over themselves to let her in.”

 

The silver haired man glowered at her, but gave a sharp nod, “I'll see what I can do.” He began to storm off before rounding back on her, “My office! Later today!”

 

Tali came to a stop next to her, “You know, he isn't that bad. For a bosh'tet.”

 

The two of them just laughed at that as they headed down to join the two biotics waiting for them below.

 

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're going to get off the Citadel when I'm good and ready to get off the Citadel. 
> 
> Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, my traffic tracker is dead so I have no idea if anyone is reading the bloody thing. 
> 
> And ya Jacqueline's here, surprise! I loved Jack's transition from 2 to 3, and felt that it was kind of wasted in the fact that we saw her all of three times, two of them being optional. Discounting the Citadel DLC which I still haven't played because I'm going through all the games again before I do. Which given I don't really play games anymore will be quite a while...


	6. Real estate at a discount

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As most of you have probably guessed by now I'm only integrating side quests into the game that flow organically, so no Shepard is not going to weighing in on the fundamental failure of two people to do basic math. And yes, I realize that ME is an RPG, and these things are just par for the course, but we all know that there are quite a few missions were we all felt Shepard could be doing something better with her/his time.
> 
> Songs: Pillars of Creation by Alliance  
> Prometheus by Kari Sigurdsson  
> Udina: Don't Mess with me by temposhark  
> Ascension by Sub Pub Music  
> The Citadel (Theme): Breaking Out by The Protomen

S&S

 

Shepard stepped into the dimly lit room that the Council used when meeting with their agents in private. Situated near the heart of the tower it was one of the most secure locations in the galaxy, yet with the images of the beacon still flitting before her eyes every now and then, Shepard couldn't shake the feeling that what was to come would shake the very foundations of modern society, this room included.

 

She was only waiting for a few minutes before the Councilors filed in, Tevos favoring her with a rare smile as she took her place. “Shepard, it seems that a well deserved thanks are in order, you performed your role impeccably.”

 

“And you can expect our full support in your mission to hunt down Saren, though for now you will have to make due with what the Alliance offers you, they were quite, intransigent on that point.” Shepard had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, Sparatus had essentially confirmed what she had been afraid of, she had Council support in name only, as always.

 

Valern tapped one of his bracers, summoning a small map of the galaxy with several blinking dots scattered across the Traverse, “We have several STG teams in the region, and they will be tasked to looking for Saren as they complete their current assignments. The first group should be at your disposal in just a little under one human week.”

 

Tevos gave of grateful nod towards the Salarian, “I'm certain that the Spectre will find the assistance most welcome, while the Republics is unable to directly supply you with aid we have frozen all of Benezia's accounts, and we are forwarding you the current location of her daughter, a maiden with a vested interest in the Prothean's.”

 

Shepard blinked a few times before realizing that the Council must not know of her and Liara's relationship, while they had always been secretive about it, she had always assumed either Nihlus, or Vasir had contacted the Council about the maiden. Of course she knew that Liara had no idea what her Mother was up to, indeed Liara had been trying to figure out what was wrong with her Mother since the attempted kidnapping. But they had tried to get at Liara once before, and Shepard had a gut feeling that they would try to get at her again.

 

“Thank you, Councilor. She seems to be the best lead we have right now, unless Udina has something else for me.” Tevos frowned at the mention of the human Ambassador, “Remember, Shepard. You are our agent, not the Alliance's, we will not have you running around Council space using your Spectre status for their benefit.”

 

Shepard just smiled at the assembled Councilors, “Of course not, any mission I undertake for them would of course be solely in my capacity as an officer in the Alliance. That I seem to recall was one of the sticking points of your arrangement with the SA, if I'm not mistaken.”

 

Sparatus just nodded, “As long as you keep the separation clear there will be no problems Spectre. The situation you find yourself in is not unique only to yourself, many Turians continue to serve in the military after they have been accepted into the Spectres.” Valern nodded at that, but no one in the room missed Tevos' glare at those sharing the room with her.

 

“You are dismissed, Spectre. We will of course forward any information that comes to us that will be of use to you.”

 

Shepard inclined her head before turning on her heel and leaving the room, still unsure if she had more freedom, or less, now that she had two masters fighting over her leash.

 

S&S

 

“I had the situation under control!” Leng's distorted but obviously furious voice filled the room, causing Jack Harper to turn his head towards the screen that was recording the repairs to his cybernetics, “From what I was told, Operative, you underestimated your opponents, and ended up beaten by a Quarian, or did you plan to beat Evalyn Shepard blind, with literally one hand?” He took a drag from his cigarette, he had hoped to avoid a confrontation with Evalyn at juncture, in the hope that she would be at least amenable to assistance in dealing with the Saren situation.

 

A grunt came from the figure on screen as his ocular implants were pulled out, only to have a new set screwed in a fashion rather similar to a mass production line, “There was no need for 32 to step in, Shepard could have been ended there, and then!”

 

Harper sighed, “That is where we have a problem, Leng. We need her alive, Shepard is the only actor in this scenario that has the same knowledge that Saren does, and whatever he is up to will not be good for us.” He glanced over at the training reports from the various outposts across the Traverse, “We're not ready.”

 

Leng's head flicked toward him, the implants making it hard to read his expression, but not impossible, “There is nothing that Shepard can do that I can't!” It took him several seconds to realize that more words had followed that statement, “Ready for what?”

 

Jack just smirked at that, “An opportunity, one which will see Humanity ascend to where we rightfully belong.” Before Leng could ask another question he cut off the transmission, gesturing over his shoulder for the woman standing in the back to come forward.

 

“What have you learned Rasa?” Rasa, or as she had recently called herself, Captain Channing when she had interviewed Ashley Williams, strode forward, holding out a datapad for his perusal. “It was Geth on Eden Prime for certain, and they have some strange type of technology that converts the dead into these techno-organic shock troops. Aside from that all I was able to discover was that Shepard was the only human who came in contact with the beacon with her mind intact. There was another one of the researchers who may have activated it by mistake, I've already dispatched men to pick him up.”

 

The Illusive Man nodded at that, “Good, I'm going to need you to keep a tight reign on Leng for a while, his obsession with killing Shepard is detrimental to our current efforts.”

 

The darker skinned woman frowned, “Surely if the researcher's mind contains the necessary information then getting rid of Shepard will only be a benefit to us, one less pro-alien voice for the general public to listen to.”

 

Harper stood up, crossing the room to stare out at the sight of the slowly dying star before him, “She's important, she's going to be more than just another soldier in the upcoming conflict, she's going to be a catalyst upon which everything revolves.”

 

He didn't voice the fact that he had no idea where this belief came from, but it was so compelling that he knew it to be true, she was like some nebulous force through which these events were unfolding around. Idly he wondered if this was how people had seen Napoleon, or Julius Caesar when they had first started their rise, though a small part of him was dedicated to railing against the notion of him using a feeling to drive his own response to a crisis.

 

“Well if she is so important then she probably shouldn't be on the front lines then, I mean what happens if she dies?”

 

Jack turned towards her, the blue implants piecing through the woman, “Then we need to make sure we don't lose her, when you aren't babysitting Leng you will be heading up a project that will prepare to solve such an eventuality.”

 

Rasa frowned, “So, my job is to bring someone back from the dead?”

 

“Given your interest in the subject I'm surprised by your lack of motivation.” Rasa frowned, some had called her obsessed with Shepard, but they misunderstood. She was intrigued by how a woman with such potential had allowed herself to become a pawn for the Council, and perhaps this project offered her the chance to rectify that mistake.

 

“No, I'm the best person for the job.” Jack just smirked at that, Miranda Lawson was the best person for the job, but that option was gone now, so he would work with what he had.

 

“I want contingencies both for if we have, and don't have her remains, Rasa. It always pays to be thorough.”

 

S&S

 

Udina's office was no less welcoming the third time she visited though it was substantially less crowded this time allowing her to appreciate the view a little more, as the only person inside was the Ambassador himself, busily working away at some report in front of him.

 

Glancing up upon hearing her footsteps he nodded, indicating for her to take a seat,“Shepard, good to see that you can actually arrive on time. I assume that by now you know the Council plans on granting no actual support to your mission, a situation I'm certain you aren't surprised by.”

 

Shepard simply shrugged as she seated herself, honestly she'd long since gotten used to funding her operations by herself and had planned on doing the same thing here. “No, I was rather expecting it, though I assume that the Alliance plans on being more, proactive, with their aid.”

 

The silver haired man nodded, “Yes, you can expect our full support Shepard, including the use of the Normandy which you will be granted provisional command of.” Shepard blinked a few times at that statement, “But, that's Anderson's command. You can't expect me to go behind his back and betray him like that.”

 

Udina's expression was schooled, but she could tell that he really didn't care that much for her objections, “Anderson has already been informed of the situation, and he has agreed to stepping down. The Normandy was the only ship in orbit around Eden Prime that wasn't blasted out of the sky by that Dreadnought as it depated, and since it is likely that you will run into it again it seemed the most logical choice to give you direct command.”

 

He paused before picking up a datapad in front of him, “Anderson will be stepping down to oversee the next Spectre candidate, I believe you know her, a Rachel Gates.” Shepard nodded, but it wasn't really true, she had met Gates once and that had been after she had technically 'died.' She had survived the Blitz, which was impressive in a way, but Shepard was not entirely convinced that she would be a good fit for the Spectres. But that was not something to bring up in front of Humanities Ambassador, so she kept her opinions to herself.

 

Seeing that she didn't plan to add anything Udina continued, “Pressley has elected to stay on as your XO and chief navigator, as has the pilot, a Lieutenant Moreau. Alenko of course will still be overseeing your marine detachment, unless you have any objections?” He glanced up to ensure that she did not, and the shake of her head brought him right back to business, “Though replacements won't be available until you can get back to Arcturus, so please bear that in mind before you decide to declare war on someone.” Shepard frowned at one notable absence, and she spoke up, cutting off the politician mid-sentence, “I'd like Gunnery Chief Williams to be added to the roster as well, I don't care about her family history, she's one of the best soldiers I know.”

 

Udina looked up with her with an annoyed expression, before he finally schooled it into a more neutral mask granting her a small nod as he set the pad back on to the desk, letting out a sigh, “I am also aware that you likely intend on bringing aboard non-human crew, which is of course your Spectre prerogative. The Alliance would simply like to request that you,” he paused, likely phrasing his words to be their most palatable, “Keep them out of areas of strategic importance. We can't have Alliance secrets getting out now can we.”

 

Shepard snorted at that, if he really thought the Normandy's plans were secret then he was a fool. Between the Broker, Cerberus, and the STG, the plans could already be in the hands of half a dozen governments and private individuals by now. Of course the plans being secret was not what kept the Normandy unique at the moment, it was the fact that the Tantalus core was such a bitch to make. Between the cost, the danger of handling such a huge amount of element zero, and the fact that it could only effectively at this point be applied to a frigate were major roadblocks to the technologies widespread use.

 

Evalyn steeled her gaze, “I will assign my crew, human or otherwise, wherever they will be of use Ambassador. I am hunting the most dangerous Spectre currently alive, not on a fucking good will tour, so if you think that I will put political necessity ahead of the survival of those under my command you are dead wrong.”

 

She began to stand up before pausing, “Do you have any leads right now, the only one the Council has is Benezia's daughter, Liara.” She didn't bother to state that she was going to be picking up Liara regardless of his answer, as Liara was not only a Prothean expert, but had started her own information gathering organization.

 

Originally she had only been using it as a means to try and track down Benezia, but Liara had quickly found out that she was rather gifted in the field of extracting information from seemingly innocuous sources, and while she was no where near the caliber of the brokerage she had used what little wealth that remained to her to fund a small merc force to help her with her tasks.

 

And while all of this would be helpful to the Spectre, she also just needed to see Liara, to hopefully be allowed to apologize about how she had reacted following Tess' death. And yes doing this in the middle of a mad dash after Saren was stupid, she also didn't want to die regretting what could have been.

 

Udina though just shook her head, “There has been no sightings near any Alliance colonies, nor have any of the Corporate worlds contacted us for assistance. For now it seems the daughter may be the best bet, at the very least she might draw out Benezia.”

 

Shepard nodded towards the Ambassador as she stood, and made her way out the door. While she wanted nothing more than to sleep she still needed to meet up with Dantius, and she had to check up on Ash too.

 

S&S

 

It was late that same evening when she found herself traipsing back down to Chora's, her meet with Nassana Dantius having been there moved for some Goddess forsaken reason. She had stopped in to see Ash on her way here, only to find out that the woman had been discharged before she arrived. And so she had just shot Ash a message to meet at Shepard's apartment the next day.

 

Shepard practically growled the Turian guarding the front of Chora's out of the way, the wall she had blasted through earlier had been hastily covered up with a metal plate as the Citadel bylaws forced businesses to wait for a week to see if the Keepers would repair any structural damage first.

 

Sitting at the still mostly standing bar was Nassana Dantius, who was currently fishing for a bottle from the other side of the bar while trying to watch the deathmatch playing on the screen, “Come on finish him off you pale bitch!,” the Asari turned her head towards the guard on her left, “I swear if I lose another credit thanks to this tide's cursed woman I'll kill her myself.”

 

Shepard glared at the screen, the Batarians had been delighted to discover some of the artifacts of humanities slave culture, and had decided that the idea of forcing slaves to fight for their freedom to amuse the Batarian populace was a marvelous idea. Such broadcasts were of course outlawed in both Council, and Alliance space, but the rich were always willing to flaunt the law as long as it was fashionable.

 

Shepard coughed lightly, bring Dantius' attention to her, “What do you want, Nassana? I happen to have more important matters to take care of, so you leaving a note for me back at the embassies, not exactly improving your chances of a deal happening here.”

 

Nassana of course just smiled at her, “But, Spectre. However will you deal with all that nasty red tape, Illium isn't in Citadel space so you can't just shoot your problems away, well, you could. But, you,” she made a point of thrusting her now filled glass at the human, “Won't.”

 

Shepard simply shifted her weight on to one leg, crossing her arms subconsciously in a gesture that screamed 'and why won't I do that, bitch.'

 

Nassana just smiled at the display, “But there is no need for us to be enemies here, I have a little problem with a pirate, and you, love to shoot people while getting paid.”

 

Mismatched eyes narrowed, “I don't like to shoot people, it just happens to be part of my job on occasion.”

 

The shattering of glass filled the room as Nassana suddenly exploded, “Abyss take all of you!” She whirled on to the guard she had spoken to earlier, “Why do I own this bitch! What is the point of owning a gladiator that won't take a life!” She grabbed the bottle she had fished out earlier, throwing it too at the screen to coat the image in a blue tint as the liquid from the former bottle dripped down the flat surface.

 

The image on the screen showed a human woman refusing to execute the batarian wheezing at her feet, she was of course soon rushed by the guards that worked for the arena, knocking the slave out with their aptly named 'Enforcement Gauntlets,' devices that projected a small kinetic barrier ahead of a person's fist which would repel those that it came into contact with, the four eyed bastards liked to use them in order to minimize physical damage to unruly slaves, or citiziens.

 

Of course some made their way out into the Terminus systems, but those were mostly modified to be lethal. But the concept was useful, she might have to play with it if she had a spare moment.

 

A few moments passed before the Asari stilled and turned to regard Shepard, “Apologies, Spectre. I just, Hate, bad investments.” She shot the human a quick smile, one that Shepard was sure the Asari thought was dazzling, “Which leads me to why I need your help, I have a Sister, who in her infinite wisdom decided to use some of the family fortune to go and play at being a pirate.”

 

She let her statement hang in the air for a few seconds before continuing, “If this had just been a lark I wouldn't have cared so much, maidens will be maidens after all, but she's lost herself to the depths, last I heard she had taken to slaving out in the Artemis Tau cluster. And if you could be a dear and help me with my little problem, I'll help you with your little problem on Illium, and lets throw in five percent off of this place while we're at it, just to make sure we get off on the right foot.”

 

Shepard glanced around the room quizzically, “You bought this place?”

 

Nassana shrugged lightly, “Real estate at a bargain is hard to come by on the Citadel, and trust me, after what you did, this place was a steal. So what do you say, Shepard? Do we have a deal?” The Asari thrust forward her hand, a predatory gleam in her eyes.

 

“You can keep your cut of this, establishment. I want something else, something that I know you have access to.” The wicked Asari frowned, pulling back her hand before she cautiously asked, “And that would be?”

 

Shepard smiled, it was always nice to see that any someone as smug as Nassana knew better than to accept a deal with her before she heard it, “An in with Armali merchant guilds, I know your family still has connections stretching back to Thessia.” Shepard held her hand out for the Asari to grasp, which was soon met with a teal hand, a smile on the alien's lips as she spoke, “Shepard, you had me worried there for a second., but I am always glad to make sure my partners are happy.”

 

Shepard however just made a non-committal grunt, before turning around and leaving the formerly human owned establishment, she need some sleep because she had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be a very long day.

 

S&S

 

_Her heavy breathing was amplified by her helmet, blocking out all other sounds as she found herself only able to concentrate on the much too fast inhale and exhale cycle her body was going through. A thunderous sound echoed in the distance, and she gripped her weapon tightly knowing that the sound meant another attack._

 

_Standing up from her cover she aimed the weapon in her hands at the waves of four eyed insectoids approaching, an emerald beam lancing through the forward waves until the gun began to beep in anger as it began to vent heat, but those creatures that had lived simply crushed those who had fallen under their feet, she opened fire as soon as she could but she knew that it was hopeless._

 

_She managed two more volleys before they reached her, she removed the safety from her rifle, firing until she had overheated the weapon so much that she ended up using it as an impromptu grenade. She eviscerated many with her blades, incinerated others with either tech or warp fire, used the fifth element of the universe to crush their carapaces with her mind._

 

_But still they came even as their carcasses piled around her, and eventually even her rage could not sustain her flagging body._

 

_And as she fell to her knees she found herself held firmly within the grip of two of the creatures, and for the first time she saw the faces of the dead on the ground. As scattered amongst the dead creatures lay those she knew, Ashley, Liara, David, her Grandfather, even Wrex who's body lay near Jack's shattered form._

 

_And off separated from the others was her Mother, slumped on top of her dead surrogate sister._

 

_Crunching caused her to turn her head from the scene, as one of the creatures approached, but this one glowed with the fires of the damned._

 

“ _ **Bring her, Ascension awaits.”**_

 

_And somewhere deep in her beacon addled mind she registered that this was not something she wanted, and so she struggled, and she screamed, but she could not break the hold of the creatures as they dragged her towards the looming shape of the dreadnought from Eden Prime._

 

She was still screaming when she awoke, her body soaked in sweat as she visibly shook as her body was still trying to react to the stress of the dream.

 

She stumbled from the couch, shooting a glance to Tali's form on the bed, amazed that the younger woman had manged to sleep through her nightmare. As she grabbed a container of water from the wall mounted refrigerator she let out a long sigh, and taking an educated guess she contacted Ash, figuring that she woman was having an easy a time sleeping as she was.

 

When Ash's face quickly flickered into view she knew that the brunette hadn't slept well, or at all since she had last seen her. “Shepard? You know what time it is right?” Eva laughed a little at that, “Ya, I know. I can't sleep, and from the look of you I'd say that you are in the same boat. So why don't you come over here and we can do something productive.”

 

Ash groaned but the slightly younger woman knew that she wasn't going to be sleeping that night anyway, “Ya, ya, I guess I could be productive. Beats the hell out of wandering this ship,” she paused for a moment, “Don't get me wrong, she's a great ship, but it just feels so dead right now. Everyone else is having fun, and, I, I just can't. I tried the other day, but I nearly broke down in tears, fucking tears, some badass space marine I turned out to be.”

 

A sad smile crossed Shepard's face, “Ash, there isn't any right way to react to what you went through. And trust me, no one has the right to judge how you handle this, and you know that you can talk to me about this. Right?”

 

The marine nodded, “Ya, I know, just, I'll be there in fifteen, alright.” The image flashed and disappeared from her HUD, leaving Shepard to putter about her apartment for the next quarter of an Earth hour. Finally she just decided to get ready and pulled out the crate containing the armor that Ashley had bought the other day which she had had shipped to her apartment, and as she door opened to reveal the disheveled looking woman Shepard smirked.

 

“Strip,” she commanded as she tossed the armor mesh that went with the suit to the brunette, who couldn't help but chuckle a little at the comment as she proceeded to change into the tossed item, “Sorry, Shepard. But you just aren't my type.”

 

“What you don't find a blonde, highly intelligent cyborg, with a great ass, attractive?” The last item raised an eyebrow from the other woman, causing Shepard to huff, “I've been talking to Vasir way too much.”

 

Seeing that Ashley was done changing she pointed to the lower half of the suit that she had already pulled out of the crate, and after the two of them had gotten Ashley encased inside the metal shell she had her lay down on the couch, it wasn't like she had paid for it in the first place if Ash wrecked it.

 

Shepard quickly got to work, popping off a panel to get access to the inner workings of the armor, as she began to adjust the armor to work more appropriately with human physiology.

 

“Ouch!” The statement caused both human women to glance at each other, a blonde eyebrow raising in disbelief, “Ouch? The woman who once refused to go to the medic when she got pegged by a live round in training, just said 'ouch?'”

 

Ashley glared at Shepard from her position on the woman's couch, her leg outstretched so that Shepard could do, whatever it was she was doing to the armor she had been forced to buy on the way to the hanger. “What exactly are you doing down there anyway, it worked fine yesterday, and I was just going to use my old armor anyway.”

 

Shepard just muttered something around the tool held in her teeth, causing Ash to smirk, “Sorry, but I couldn't make that out.”

 

Shepard shot her an annoyed glance, before finishing up what she had been fiddling with, slamming shut the panel with a huff and removing the offending item, “I said you're lucky that you didn't shatter your joints, we might look similar but there are subtle but crucial differences that need to be factored in. Trust me had you tried to take off into a run you wouldn't be so cavalier about this.”

 

She gestured for Ashley to swap sides so that she could begin work on the other side, which the brunette did with her usual amount of grumbling, “And as for your old hardsuit, no, you bought this, you wear this. Plus this thing,” she tapped the midnight purple hardsuit, “Is rated to the same level of the Predator, and you are currently the only soldier under my command with any training beyond standard heavy issue.”

 

Ash sighed, before glancing over at Tali's form slumped on the bed, “She's been asleep the whole time?” Shepard sighed, shaking her head, “Yes, she passed out from exhaustion, managed to sleep through one hell of a nightmare that I had. Not that surprising that she didn't wake I suppose, with all that has happened to her lately.” Shepard let a small smile creep across her face, “Though what she did to Leng, oh that was priceless.”

 

“I wouldn't know, the wiry bastard kind of tossed me into that ship like a toy.” Shepard sighed, “Ya, there is a reason why there are restrictions on people going full synth.” Ashley quirked her eyebrow at Shepard who just scowled at her, “All of my voluntary additions don't turn me into a fucking war machine, they're just, backups.”

 

“Backups?” Shepard just smirked at that, “Ya you know, in case of dead Shepard activate backup.”

 

At Ash's widening eyes Shepard just grinned, “That was a joke.”

 

Ash growled swinging a fist for the blonde, who ducked underneath it causing the brunette to over swing and tumble on top of her. “Fuck Ash, get off of me!” Her attempt to push the brunette off of her just caused the half armored woman to fall upon her again, “You calling me fat, Shepard?”

 

“No I'm calling you someone who is wearing half a tank, and who happens to be sitting on top of my fucking spine!” She flared her biotics, sending Ash flying across the room, causing Shepard to groan in relief now that the pressure was gone.

 

“Kee'lah, can't you two bosh'tets be quiet!” The narrow strips of light coming from Tali's helmet told Shepard that the Quarian was still half asleep, “Sorry Tali, Ash promises she'll be quieter, don't you Ash?”

 

Ash shot the blonde a glare, before turning towards Tali, “Sorry, Tali, we'll let you get back to sleep.”

 

The Quarian for her part just mumbled a few words before rolling back over, her back facing the two humans. Ash managed to move across the room with something resembling silence and returned to her former position on the couch, shooting an angry look at the Spectre, “Can you just finish this up, I still need to go to the embassy to pick up my official transfer orders.”

 

Shepard nodded before she popped off another panel, “You don't have to worry about that, Kaidan has to take Jacqueline down there anyway, knowing him he'll probably pick your orders up while he's there.” Ash nodded, having to agree that Kaidan seemed like one of those officers who would go out of his way to pick up her paperwork while he was in the area.

 

“So, what's Jack's story anyway?” Shepard paused, debating how much to tell, or if she should say anything at all.

 

“That, that is a very loaded question. But broad strokes, she's one of the strongest, if not the strongest human biotic alive. She was experimented on by Cerberus, who following her escape have spent a great deal of time, and effort in trying to track her down.” A sigh emerged from her lips, and she fiddled with a few setting before speaking again, “She's got a good heart, its just been stomped on a lot so she's wary of trusting others. She wants this though, so give her some time and let her approach you first.”

 

She finished up the panel she was working on, moving down to the next one lower down on the calf of the suit, “Kaidan will be overseeing her, I think his experiences at Jump Zero will be something she can relate to, maybe even help her to see that she can have a place in the Alliance once this is all over.”

 

“You care about her.” The blonde gave a small nod at the question, “I've found out some things over the years, and lets just say that while I'm not directly responsible for what happened to her, I feel like I need to make amends for them nonetheless.”

 

Ashley threw back her head laughing, “Christ, Shepard. Have you forgotten who you're talking to, I'm the master of making amends for shit that isn't my fault.” Shepard angrily slapped the woman's side, “Stop squirming, or I swear I will paint this thing pink!”

 

S&S

 

The two biotics made their way toward the Alliance's small enclave that it held on the Citadel, it served as the entry point for most official Alliance shuttles, and all personnel were supposed to pass through its checkpoints before being allowed out into the Citadel proper. Private docks like the one the Normandy was current situated at were very much the exception to the rule.

 

“So, am I going to have to wear those ugly ass things?” Kaidan couldn't help but smirk at the question, glancing at the smaller woman who seemed to have fully recovered over the course of day that had transpired since the hanger.

 

“Normally I would say yes, but given who's backing your entry for some reason I think they might let you get away with a slight alteration to the uniform.” Jack just smirked, “Good, I'd hate to show too much skin.”

 

Kaidan just shook his head at the statement, having changed out of her armor the rather pretty, though crass woman he was with was seemingly content running around in a pair of baggy combat pants and a few straps across her chest. Swiping his ID in front of the doors that ushered them inside the enclave. He let loose a sigh as he saw how crowded it was, and trudged over to input his ID into the queue, before turning around to join Jack who was already sprawling across several chairs.

 

He fixed his gaze on her, “I'd like to sit down, Jack?” The smaller biotic just smirked and patted her lap, though when that elicited no reaction she just huffed and swung her booted feet to the floor, allowing Kaidan to sit down beside her. Though he could hear her muttered, “Spoilsport,” as he sat down, eliciting smirk form the L2.

 

After a ten minutes of waiting Jack was already bored, and she wasn't going to suffer alone as Kaidan was content filing reports on his omni. “So, what's your deal?”

 

The brown haired man just raised an eyebrow, “My deal?” Which of course just elicited an exaggerated roll of the eyes from the female, “Ya, you're deal. I mean I know you're an L2, I can feel your field tingling from here.” He frowned at the statement, he knew that Jack probably wasn't normal if Cerberus was after her, but to be able to feel a bio-electric field meant she must have either an extremely sensitive amp, or an absolutely massive amount of element zero in her body.

 

She answered the question she knew was going through his head, “Both, Cerberus wasn't going to waste their time developing a super amp if they didn't have a stupidly powerful biotic to toss it into.” What stuck with Kaidan though was the nonchalance that she spoke with, this wasn't how she really felt about it, this was just the speech she had prepared and said so many times over that she pretended that she actually believed it.

 

He understood that, but any further comment was interrupted by a Lieutenant manning the desk calling his name, Kaidan groaned as he stood, motioning for Jack to follow him, and he would be lying if he said he was surprised when she fell a few steps behind him with minimal fuss.

 

The officer manning the desk was just a kid, likely the child of someone important who just cruised through basic to land a job here on the Citadel. The younger male's eyes scanned the file before they widened, glancing up at the Staff Lieutenant, “I'm sorry sir, but I'm not cleared to handle L2's, just wait one moment and I'll get my supervisor.” As the man took off at a slightly undignified gate Kaidan just sighed, though he noticed Jack was starring at him in confusion.

 

So he was silent for a few moments before talking, “I'm one of the lucky L2's, I only get migraines from when I tap into my biotics, lot of the others who got outfitted weren't so lucky, the implants have a high chance of doing neurological damage so they military doesn't just let anyone handle our cases.” He smiled a little sardonically at their current situation, “Even when it isn't even my case being handled.”

 

And honestly everything would have gone fine had a ghost not walked up to them, a woman Kaidan's age walked up to them, “I'm sorry for the wait, Lieutenant, but I'm the only one on duty who is certified to handle L2's.” But Kaidan could only stare, not sure if he was seeing things or not, “Rahna?”

 

The brunette blinked a few times, before a flicker of recognition, and fear lit her eyes, “Kaidan, I saw the last name but I didn't make the connection. I'm glad to see that you found a place for yourself after BaaT.” Jack frowned, the woman obviously should be an L2 given her age, but she was getting nothing off of her.

 

Rahna fake smile that was plastered on her fake was obvious to everyone involved, “So, what can I help you with?” Kaidan just sighed, not wanting to make this more unpleasant than possible, “I need to pick up transfer orders for an Ashley Williams, she was formerly stationed on Eden Prime. And Jack here needs to receive her Alliance credentials, there should have been a courier drop this morning with them.”

 

Rahna glanced at the Lieutenant who dashed off into the back to check for the couriers delivery, while she quickly tapped into the system to find Ashley's information. “Ah, here we go.” She handed a read only datapad over to Kaidan, who accepted it with a nod. Not long after the Lieutenant returned, holding a small package in his hands which Rahna turned to accept, causing both Kaidan and Jack to see that the woman had a surgical scar over where her amp would be.

 

“You had your implant removed?” Kaidan's voice was pained, and for the first time Rahna let her mask slip, “Yes, I know that you might think that what you did was justified. But it wasn't, and neither was Vyrnnus, and the only reason either of you could do what you did was because of your biotics. So I got rid of the problem.”

 

The package in her hands was suddenly ripped out of them as Jack flared blue, “Bitch, please. You think this guy is some kind of monster?” Her lips twitched at that, “When you've been content to ignore the actual monster this whole time, because trust me I've done shit that would make whatever the boy scout here did look like helping an old lady cross the street, and I liked it too.” The small biotic smirked as she intensified the field around her body, causing electricity to arc around her into the surrounding surfaces.

 

Kaidan moved to try to calm Jack down, but found himself shut down with a glare from the tattooed woman, “One thing I'm not though, is fucking ashamed of what I am. Ya, I might be a freak, but at least I don't fucking pretend that I don't enjoy it, crushing some asshole's head with my mind is about the most entertaining thing you can do when you don't have extranet.”

 

Rahna for her part had backed up as far as she could, the fear in her eyes mirroring what Kaidan had seen years earlier, and taking the opportunity he guided Jack out of the room before any more could be said, the still occasionally flaring woman seemed to be willing to let him lead her while she tried to calm him. So the Lieutenant quickly moved them to a nearby but secluded set of benches.

 

As Jack settled down and attempted to control her breathing Kaidan found himself kneeling in front of her, “Jack, just focus on my voice, you just need to center yourself, let the anger you've built up inside go for now,” he continued to speak until he could see her field begin to fade away, at which point he smirked a little, “Wouldn't look too good if you took out a chunk of the Citadel on your first day in the Alliance.”

 

Jack laughed a little at that, the field around her dissipating as she managed to bring her breathing under control, “Thanks for that, boy scout. Where did you learn that trick?”

 

Kaidan pulled himself on to the bench, glancing at her, “Brain camp, some of the kids who were a little younger had trouble keeping their flareups in check. You figure out pretty quickly how to calm down a kid who can wreck the room you're whenever he misses home.”

 

A frown tugged at Jack's full lips, “Brain camp?” Which caused a light laugh to come out of the older man, “Technically it was called, 'Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training,' the idea was that you take a bunch of the newly discovered biotic kids and try to train them in how to use their powers. They shipped us off to Jump Zero, a space station out beyond pluto, and shipped in some Turian specialists to try and train us.” He sighed, “It, it didn't end well, eventually the program was shut down following the death of one of the instructors,” he glanced down starring at his hands, “I killed him. I still think it was the right thing to do, but even the right thing has consequences.”

 

“I'm going to guess that the bitch was one of the students,” Kaidan simply nodded at that, a somber look crossing his face, “Ya, the instructor she mentioned, Vyrnnus, was the one I killed. He shattered her arm when she reached for a glass of water with her arm instead of with her biotics.”

 

He exhaled a shaky breath, “I snapped, slammed a full strength biotic kick into him, I knew he was dead before he even hit the ground. They covered it up of course, but the program was already on shaky legs as it was, sometimes I wonder if things would have been better if the program hadn't tanked.”

 

Jack leaned back, blowing a breath upwards, “Ya, life sucks.”

 

S&S

 

Shepard had finally managed to track Anderson down, the man having retreated to a small bar that was situated near the embassies. And the moment she entered the room she could tell he knew what was coming.

 

“Eva, you don't need to turn this into a fight. I'm getting too old for this game anyway, I might not mind a little quiet time on the Citadel.” He smirked a little, “Maybe I can finally spend some time in that apartment I own here.”

 

But even his words couldn't get rid of the proverbial storm cloud over her head, “She was your ship, I know how long it has taken you to get a command like that, you nearly lost your entire career thanks to Saren, and now I'm just ripping what you've been working for from your very hands!” She hadn't meant to let herself actually get this emotional, but it literally felt like she was stabbing her father in the back.

 

Anderson just gave her a small smile, reaching across the table to put a hand over top of her own, “Child, if I had to lose her to someone, I'm glad that it's you. You two deserve each other, both way too ahead of your time, and a touch temperamental.” She angrily swatted away his hand, though a smile crept across her features, “Thanks.”

 

Anderson smiled, sliding across his still half-full glass to her while he signaled the server to bring him another, “Anytime.”

 

As Shepard finished off the scotch in her glass Anderson raised an eyebrow at her, “So? Any questions on the crew? They are some of the best.”

 

Eva was quiet for a few moments before she launched into it, “I'm bringing on board some non-humans, do you know of anyone who is going to be particularly troublesome about it?”

 

Anderson thanked the server who had just brought him his drink, taking a small sip of it before setting it back down, “A few crewmen might be nervous around them, particularly that Krogan of yours, but they will tow the line. Chakwas has no problem with other races, neither does Adams for that matter. Joker, well he's got issues but none of them involve bigotry.”

 

Shepard's expression told him to elaborate, so he veered off topic for a moment, “Jeff has Vroliks, and not the mild kind, too much pressure and his bones snap like a dry twig. But he's used that to push himself to be the best, flying is the boy's life, in the most literal sense of the word. He's got a chip on his shoulder though, so I'm not sure if he is going to resent you more or less than he does most sources of authority.”

 

She nodded, before realizing he was missing a name, “You haven't mentioned Pressley.”

 

Anderson sighed, “Charles, he's a great navigator, and I believe he would be an excellent XO, but he's not a massive fan of aliens, particularly Turians. And well I can't see him thinking too highly of how you spent the last five years, but he's a lifer, so you give him an order and I doubt he will give you any lip.”

 

She sighed, because they both knew that the problem wasn't going to be when she was giving orders. As the XO Pressley would have authority whenever she was off the ship, and she needed to know that she could trust him if she was somehow injured, or otherwise unable to command.

 

“Alright, no roster swaps for now, but I'll keep an eye on Pressley just in case. Do you think the Alliance would give me a lot of grief if I was forced to swap him out.”

 

Anderson frowned, debating how the admiralty would react, “As long as the replacement is Alliance I don't think there will be a problem, you will be in command in an official capacity after all. Oh and in case Udina didn't mention it, congratulations on the promotion.”

 

She blinked in confusion, “What?”

 

Anderson's smile just grew, “Congratulations, Commander Evalyn M. Shepard. The brass felt that five years as a Spectre warranted an upgrade from Lieutenant-Commander.”

 

Before she could order her own glass Anderson's gaze went over her shoulder towards the door, “Eva, I think you are in trouble.”

 

“Trouble?” And as she turned around in her chair to see what was going on a fist connected with her jaw, and she was aware of someone shouting the words, “Five years!”

 

And as she picked herself up off the floor she turned to find herself looking at the visibly furious form of her Grandfather, the words, “Fuck,” spilling out unintentionally as she locked eyes with the man.

 

“Five, fucking, years. You know that we buried you, or what we thought was you. Of course I'm sure that whore of a mother of yours knew the tru-” His sentence was cut off as her own fist connected with his jaw, sending the much older man stumbling backwards.

 

The man spent a few moments rubbing his jaw, his anger having deflated following her counterattack, “I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I might not have liked Hannah but that was out of line, glad you didn't use the right.” She glanced down at her synthetic arm, “I thought about it, but I wasn't sure if you had added me back into the will yet or not.”

 

The older Shepard chuckled, as he settled himself down at the table she and Anderson had previously been seated, “You can relax now David, I don't think the owners would appreciate it if hostilities resumed.” He smirked a little at that, before glancing at Eva, “So, anything to say?”

 

She sighed, “It wasn't my intention to make you think I had died, I was supposed to come back after two years, then, well the ship blew up.” Both men were giving her equally unconvinced glares, “Look! I never intended on hurting anyone, but I also didn't want anyone else getting hurt because of me!”

 

Anderson shook his head, “Akuze wasn't your fault, Eva.”

 

“No, but Arcturus sure as hell was,” she spat that statement out, daring either of them to disagree. Which wisely neither of them did, “So, I decided that maybe it was for the best if I stayed dead, then no one would have to get hurt because of me.”

 

Harrison sighed, “You can't blame yourself for the actions of others, and Eva, aside for the whole making me think you were dead thing, I'm proud of what you've accomplished.” She smiled lightly at that, her Grandfather had always been quick to anger, but also quick to forgive, and that had always went double when it came to her.

 

Anderson nodded his agreement, though his gaze was once again drawn upwards, “Isn't that Chief Williams?” As Shepard spun around in her chair she was honestly expecting to get punched again, but instead she saw that Ash was having a rather heated discussion with another Alliance official.

 

“I'll check it out, you two, talk about whatever the hell it is you talk about when I'm not around.”

 

She slipped between the tables in her way as she made her way up to join Ashley, noticing for the first time that she wasn't alone. “Ash, what's wrong.”

 

Ash turned to her, and Shepard could tell that her friend was visibly upset over something, “This little shit here won't release Nirali's body to her, Husband,” she gestured to the man standing behind her, “This asshole claims that they need her body for research into the Geth's weapons.”

 

Shepard turned towards the suit wearing gentlemen, “Are you really not going to release her body to her family?”

 

He turned to her, and his expression was at least somewhat remorseful about the situation, “I understand that it isn't the best situation, but her body has wounds inconsistent with those that we have found on the other bodies. Who knows how many we can save if we can learn from the remains of Servicewoman Bhatia.”

 

Shepard though, disagreed. And as her eyes narrowed and she took a step forward the man realized his mistake, especially when he hit the wall behind him leaving him without an escape route. “That woman died defending useless shits like you, and you want to talk about the greater good in front of her still grieving husband? There is no greater good if we can't even honor those who willingly put their own lives on the line.”

 

She paused, turning to the woman's husband, “Did Nirali sign that her body could be used for research purposes?” The man surprised that he was being addressed just shakily shook his head, uttering a single work, “No.”

 

Content with the response she rounded back on to the bureaucrat, “Release the body, or I'll just replace it with yours.”

 

The man was about to say something that she knew would be stupid when her Grandfather's voice came across the room, “Release the body, son. That's an order.”

 

And as the man's face paled upon realizing who was talking to he just nodded several times, “Of course, Admiral. I'll get right on it.” As he took off from the room at pretty much an outright run.

 

Ash let out a breath of relief, “I'm going to go with Samesh, just to make sure he actually releases her body.” Shepard nodded, calling out to the brunette, “Since you aren't synced up to the Normandy yet, we ship out at 23:00.”

 

Ashley waved her hand in acknowledgment as she made her way out of the bar, and Shepard made her way back to her table. Both men had identical smirks on their faces, David took a drink from his glass before saying, “Still trying to solve every little problem you came across.”

 

Shepard just smiled, before replying, “Only the important ones.”

 

S&S

 

Garrus visibly relaxed as he spotted Shepard stepping off of the lift, “Shepard, I've been meaning to talk to you.” She paused in her gait to regard him, “About?”

 

“You're mission, I'd like to be apart of it.” And just like that his hopes were dashed as confusion crossed her features, before she tentatively asked, “I thought you were already on it. I told Sparatus yesterday that I wanted you on the team.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Ya,” the two of them just stood there for a few moments, “This is awkward.”

 

The Turian had to nod in agreement, “I'll see you on the ship then?”

 

“Yes, 23:00 is when we depart, Alliance standard, not Citadel.”

 

Garrus nodded, “Good, I wouldn't want to be late, that would be, awkward.” the two of them stood there for a few more moments before he jerked one taloned hand over his shoulder, “I guess I should go and pack then.”

 

And at the human's nod, so ended the most awkward conversation of either of their lives so far.

 

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I finally decided what I'm going to do with the original story, which I feel we can all agree sucks for about the first, well half. 
> 
> I'm not going to rewrite the chapters, instead after I hit a benchmark with this story, Noveria, Virmire, etc. I'll do a couple of chapters of a remake of sorts, I'll be leaving up the original as a testament to how much I sucked/improved. 
> 
> The new story will start earlier than the old one, hell the first scene will probably be when Shepard wakes up following Akuze if all goes according to how I have it mapped out in my head. So this way I can alleviate my utter distaste for my initial chapters, without making you guys who actually slogged your way through the original S&S deal with me not making progress here.


	7. Gibbering pyjaks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to apologize somewhat for the delay, not that I plan on doing multiple updates a week all that much but life kicked in, as did Metal Gear. Honestly I don't even game that much but I got a copy for free, and that thing is aggravatingly well done. If ME:A is going a little more sandbox I hope they use it as a reference, as much as I liked DA:I it really did play like a single player MMO. 
> 
> Theme: Evalyn's Demons: Brave Shine, cover by Amanda Lee (It might sound cheery, but well context will show otherwise)  
> Song:  
> The dream: Ego Death by Christian Baczyk

S&S

 

Evalyn was just finishing packing away the last of her weapons into the crate that sat at her feet when her gaze was drawn to the hidden safe behind her workstation, moving over to it she palmed the panel built into the wall causing the section to slide out of the way, revealing two small tubular objects.

 

Both of them were hardened canisters designed to protect, and more importantly contain, a multitude of nanites that she had managed to reverse engineer from a Salarian she had killed years prior. But the Salarian in question had looked eerily like those former humans, those husks, on Eden Prime, which of course made Eva even more wary of the objects in front of her than she had been before.

 

She had managed to replicate the technology to a certain degree, but her early tests had shown that once the objects in question had completed their assigned tasks they began to receive new orders, from an unknown source. On the other hand though, if she could program them in such a way that they would shut themselves down then she was perhaps safe, and her tests had shown that these little miracles could make medi-gel look like a bandage.

 

And a not insignificant part of her was simply curious, curious as to what would happen if she used it, maybe she would be able to find out what had communicated to her through the Salarian, perhaps even get some answers as to what was happening with Saren. As it was obvious to her that something linked the event on the Citadel, to the now rogue Spectre.

 

Saren, she gritted her teeth at the thought of the silver Turian, he had always been an ass, but essentially declaring war on humanity? That was completely out of character for the normally cunning Spectre, but she also had to factor in that Nihlus had been pretty much the closest thing he had to a son, and she wasn't half as surprised about the fact that Saren had killed him in cold blood. Everyone, especially Spectres, knew that Saren would sacrifice anyone if it meant completing the mission. And it was that knowledge that Saren must be on some form of mission which was going to enable her to track him down, she simply had to figure out what this conduit is, find out where the hell it was, and shoot that traitorous Turian square in his face.

 

But her murderous thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her omni pinging, “Shepard here.”

 

An image of a rather young looking maiden flickered into her HUD, “Yes, Spectre, I'm just contacting you to inform you that the Consort has had to move up your appointment. She can meet with you in forty of your Earth minutes, if you need to reschedule I can also handle that right now as well.”

 

Shepard just blinked a few times, thoroughly and utterly confused, “I didn't schedule an appointment with the Consort, and, um, no thanks, I guess.” The maiden for her part just looked confused, “The appointment was made by Councilor Tevos, she listed the appointment's reason as, 'health related.'”

 

Evalyn sighed, “And that doesn't change anything, please inform the Consort that I am sorry that she had to waste the time of one of her acolytes.” She cut the call, and prepared herself for the inevitable follow up that would come from the Councilor.

 

Of course Tevos would claim that it was simply to ensure that she was fit for the mission, but Shepard knew that the fact she was still alive was worrying to the Asari, as it threatened their stranglehold over data that required the use of the Prothean's interface technology. Shepard personally assumed that the Protheans, like the Asari, were capable of, at minimum, melding their minds to others, as it seemed like a technology that one would only develop if it came naturally to your species.

 

No human as far as Evalyn was aware of had attempted to push for mind to mind communication following the moratorium on cybernetics in the mid twenty-first century.

 

But her stroll into the past was interrupted by the expected party, “Hello, Councilor.”

 

Tevos' lips were contorted in an angry frown, “You canceled your appointment, Shepard.! Even someone as stubbon as you must understand that interfacing with a beacon is taxing on even the strongest of my people, and we have the benefit of being biologically predisposed towards the act.” An exasperated sigh came out of the speaker, “The Consort has sworn an oath to never reveal a secret to anyone, I'm certain that even you don't doubt that.”

 

Shepard snorted, revealing how much faith she put in the Consort's vaunted discretion, “Truly, I am grateful for the offer, but I'm not taking you up on it.”

 

She cut the call before Tevos could reply, grimacing slightly when she realized that she had essentially hung up on her boss.

 

“Well, at least it wasn't Valern, wouldn't want to piss off the STG.”

 

A rather smug smile played across her features, quickly banished however when suddenly a call from the Human embassy popped up only a few minutes later, groaning she accepted the call.

 

“Hello, Ambassador, how can I help you today? But please if you could make it quick I would appreciate it, I am rather busy today.”

 

Udina's miniaturized face glared angrily at her, “Shepard I was just informed that you canceled your meeting with the Consort. I had assumed you were informed, but so you are aware her clearing you for service was a part of our agreement with the Council, the Asari insisted on that little stipulation.” His face showed how much he felt about that particular addendum before the man sighed. “You need to go, as much as I can understand your misgivings the two of us can't afford to upset the Asari at this juncture.”

 

She grit her teeth at the supposed camaraderie, “The two of us, Ambassador?” A smile that mirrored her previous expression appeared on the man's face, “Shepard, you may not like me, I myself am not overly fond of you, but I can assure you that the two of us can have a very mutually beneficial relationship. Now go and be a good Spectre and listen to Tevos, we wouldn't want them to declare you unfit for duty after that little beacon incident would we?”

 

She closed her eyes, letting out a sigh as she tried to calm herself down, “Understood.” During all of this she hadn't even noticed that she had subconsciously packed the nanite tubes into the slots built into her armor.

 

S&S

 

Shepard hated the Consort's office, from the various beings all attempting to look sultry, to the fact that she knew that there would be a story of her entering the building running on CNN before she left would have left the structure, damn twenty hour news cycle.

 

But she schooled her frown, adopting the mask that she used while dealing with those she was forced to interact with a trait cultivated by her Parents, nodding at the maiden behind the terminal, “I'm Spectre Shepard, I believe that I have an appointment.”

 

The maiden graced her with a smile, “Of course, Spectre, or would you prefer Commander? I know that some Spectre's prefer to use their military ranks to differentiate themselves.” Ignoring the fact that the maiden's statement implied numerous other Spectres came here, Evalyn had to admit the question caused her to pause, it might be nice to go back to her old moniker, perhaps she should check in with Udina to see what would work out better.

 

She grimaced as the treacherous thought passed through her head, she was back in the Alliance for a fucking day and already she was playing politics. She let out a sigh, like Father like Daughter she supposed.

 

She was led into the back, ignoring the stares she received from well, everyone. Between her blonde hair, cybernetics, armor, and her Spectre status, there was a lot of reason for people to gawk. Which of course wasn't even factoring in the she was the most visible Spectre on the galactic stage at the moment, certainly there were more senior Spectres, but with Tela taking time off due to her pregnancy, and Bau, being well Bau, Shepard was currently the face of the organization.

 

The acolyte stopped, gesturing for Shepard to proceed up the stairs, which were surprisingly impersonal for someone as wealthy and respected as the Consort, Shepard had seen dive bars down in the Wards with more personality than this place. As she reached the end of the stairway she found herself in front of a door, and not seeing a comm panel she rapped her armored knuckle on the door.

 

The door slid open not long after, revealing a pale Asari, “Please, Commander, come in.” Shepard quirked an eyebrow at the honorific, but she just let it slide moving inside the room but she made no move to sit down. Partly due to not wanting to break anything with her armored bulk, the other of course being that she had no real want to take part in this.

 

“I understand that you are, adverse, to accepting my help. I can assure you that you will be able to tell if I go deeper into the meld tha-” Shepard held up an armored hand, “I'm not unfamiliar with the practice, Consort.”

 

And she wasn't, she had dated an Asari when she had been still at the Academy. It had been something she had done in an attempt to feel, well something, and it had ended in, well it had definitely ended. It had also taught her that leaving yourself open like that would only ever cause you to be hurt, and she was ashamed to admit that it was why she and Liara had never melded, even though her hesitance had caused the Doctor to leave her some months ago.

 

The Asari gave her a sad smile, “What Atesi did to you was unforgivable, Shepard.” The dark blue eyes suddenly flared wide as the Asari found herself slammed into the wall, her throat held in the vice like grip of the snarling human, “How, the fuck, do you know her name!” Evalyn's eyes were wide with rage, as the images of the dead littering the parade ground flickered in front of her eyes.

 

It was taking all of the Spectre's willpower to not crush the alien in her grip, to take out all of her rage she felt for Atesi on this proxy. Sha'ira however, simply calmly, and slowly, placed her hands on top of the Spectre's arm, and Evalyn found the Asari's own calmness in the situation managed to cool the rage somewhat in the blonde.

 

She released the consort, stumbling back a few steps to put some distance between them. The Consort for her part sat down on the nearby couch, rubbing her neck as she did, “I'm sorry for upsetting you, I am sure you understand that I am a very well connected member of my people, and when I found out that the youngest Shepard was involved with one of my people, I investigated for the sake of curiosity.” A flicker of many different emotions flickered over the alien's face, “When I realized what she did, what her masters told her to do, it was reprehensible.”

 

“She tainted the gift of our people for you, I had hoped that I would be able to help you to see that it did not have to be that way, perhaps help you to connect with the young T'Soni.” Shepard had to force herself not to lunge forward again as the rage bubbled back up, but her angers resurgence had caused her biotics to flare slightly, the electrical charge dancing across her armor like a contained lightning storm.

 

But the Asari only gave her a soft smile, “Liara came to me, looking for answers about Benezia, I was once a friend to the Matriarch many of your lifetimes ago.” She sighed, “When I couldn't give her the answers she sought, she broached another subject, one which I believe you can guess at?”

 

Evalyn for her part looked away from the blue eyes that knew too much about her, “I couldn't let her in, not after what happened, all of those people died just because I was selfish.” A shift from the couch turned her attention to the now standing Asari, whose face was filled with sympathy, “It isn't selfish to find comfort in another when it is freely given, the fault lies in those willing to take advantage of the situation.”

 

Shepard frowned at that, but Sha'ira shook her head, “I do not think that melding with you will help you Shepard, so I will tell the Council that you are cleared,” the Asari paused for a few moments, lightly touching the Spectre's form causing the field to discharge and dissipate into the Consort's barrier. “If you would have it, I would offer you a gift, a glimpse at where I believe your path will lead you.”

 

Shepard chuckled darkly at that, “I didn't know that you were an oracle too.” Surprisingly the Asari laughed as well, “Nothing so grand, merely someone who had lived a very long time, and who has learned to see people for who they really are.”

 

Mismatched eyes locked with dark blue orbs, before the human hesitatingly nodded.

 

The consort took a few steps back, her eyes sweeping over the blonde's form, as if she was dissecting her, “You are a survivor, but in the most tragic sense of the word, for you were not born one but circumstance has forced you to become one. But survival will not be enough in the days to come, you will have to rally to you those you need, forge both them and yourself into something capable of overcoming the task before you.” The Consort's face held a sad smile, “Be careful though, Evalyn Shepard. Those who are both motivated and skilled, will always be seen as a threat regardless of how altruistic their intentions are.”

 

Shepard could only frown at the words, the gift wasn't exactly comforting, but the warning was, while unnecessary, not unwelcome. The Consort gracefully gestured towards the door, and Shepard took the hint that it was her time to leave. As the door shut behind her the Consort sighed, speaking to an empty room, “She is a catalyst after all.”

 

S&S

 

Shepard moved throughout the ship that was now hers, not content until she knew the ship from stem to stern, though she had found herself held up by the incredibly inconvenient elevator, honestly if this wasn't a giant fuck you from the Turian design team she had no idea what it was doing here for.

 

Deciding to start off in the cargo hold she grinned at the dozing Krogan, Wrex, like many mercs, simply made sure to get in some shuteye whenever the opportunity presented itself. Though she knew that he would be chuckling at the way the human crew picked up pace whenever they had to move by his armored form.

 

Garrus for his part had stowed his gear near the Mako, the sleeper pods on board not being calibrated for a Turian, he had agreed to the suggestion that he just bunk out in the tank. Wrex of course had been offered some form of accommodation as well, but he had just growled off any offer, simply grumbled that he wasn't a whelp like the Turian.

 

“Like what you see, Garrus?” She teasingly asked once she had come to a stop next to him, causing Garrus to jump a little as she had padded up to him unawares, “Spirits, Shepard. How do you move around in that without making a sound?!” The blonde just smirked at him, “Navy brat, you either learned how to move quietly or you were never sneaking out to have, well what amounted for fun. The armor adds difficulty to the task, but the same basic concept applies.”

 

Garrus just hummed a response, before turning his gaze back to the Mako, “It just seems odd for a scout frigate to have a battle tank, when Turian's deploy armor we always deploy in full strength, what good will a single tank do?”

 

Shepard just smirked, “Ah, but you are thinking like a Turian, you need to see it from a Human perspective.” She pointed at the wheels, “It's wheeled so that it can be deployed on worlds that hover functionality would be hindered, she's armored enough to take on most pirate bases with minimal fuss, with enough stopping power to take out unhardened targets with ease.”

 

The blonde dropped into a crouch pointing her arm to direct his gaze to the small thrusters on the underside, “It has a small eezo core that can lower the mass, which combined with the thrusters can let you lift the vehicle over obstacles. Which also means that in a pinch the vehicle can be used as a potent emergency generator for all Alliance equipment. Plus you can outfit it for a bunch of different roles, from anti-air, to a mobile command center.”

 

She turned to shoot a smirk at the Turian, “Your people are exceptional when it comes to total war, but us humans, we like to be, flexible.” Garrus chuckled at that, waving off her look with a muttered, “Private joke.” She shrugged and patted the wheel a few times before standing up, “Trust me, the first time we drop into a hot zone with this you are going to be glad that it came along for the ride.”

 

Garrus frowned at that, but it was Wrex's voice that reacted to that, “No more drops! You swore that there was to be no more dropping out of spaceships!” Shepard turned to the now awake, and rather cranky Krogan, a smirk playing across her features, “Did I? I'm pretty sure that I said I wouldn't make, you,” she stressed the you for emphasis, “Jump out of them anyway, nowhere did I say that you wouldn't be riding in an armored vehicle designed for hot drops.”

 

The Krogan continued to glower at her, which only caused her to smirk further, “Come on Wrex, if it makes you feel better you can operate the turret.” Wrex's jaw moved a few times, as if he was literally chewing on the thought, “Alright, but you can't complain if I just fire the gun every now and then.”

 

She sighed, Krogan's and their explosions, “Fine, fine.” She waved her hand in dismissal when she noticed Garrus' confused expression. “Something on your mind?”

 

The Turian glanced at Wrex, before looking back at her, “You tossed him out of a ship?”

 

Shepard just laughed at that, as Wrex grumbled in his corner, “No, nothing like that,” she paused before correcting herself, mirth shining in her eyes, “Well, something like that.” She knelt down so that she could manually pull back on the armor plate protecting her calf, revealing a small miniaturized thruster. “My suit is rated for drops from about the same height as the Mako, I based it off of Spectre gear that Nihlus loaned me once, and well Wrex had to use it a couple of times, and you can say that he wasn't the biggest fan of the whole affair.”

 

Garrus began to chuckle, at least he started to before he saw the murderous gleam in the Krogan's eyes, and deciding that it was unwise to needlessly anger the bloodthirsty mercenary he was effectively bunking with, and so he quickly brought his laughter to an end.

 

Shepard just laughed at the sudden, and obvious, shift in mood, “All right then, I'll talk to you later Garrus, when I decide who is coming down to Therum with me I'll call the ground team up to the briefing room.”

 

Garrus nodded at her as she passed by, though the blonde had to smirk as she passed by the red armored figure in the hold, “Wrex.”

 

“Shepard.”

 

The whole hold seemed to pause as the Spectre and Mercenary interacted, until the human just let a genuine smile cross her features, “Good talk.”

 

“Yep.”

 

And like that both the Spectre, and the rest of the crew were back in motion. Shepard's destination was of course engineering, wanting to both check in with her Chief Engineer, and her last, so far, non-human addition.

 

She approached Adams first, coming to stand beside the man as he looked over the monitoring station, “Chief Adams.” He glanced over his shoulder, unconsciously straightening his posture at her presence, “Commander, what can I do for you?”

 

Shepard just laughed a little at that, “Nothing, Adams. Just getting to know the ship.” The older man smiled knowingly at that one, “She is quite the ship, and I'm glad that even if we lost Anderson, at least she's still in the hands of someone that appreciates her.”

 

She hummed an agreement, letting the thrum of the core permeate her for a few moments, “I've never seen a core that large before in such a small ship.” Adams gestured at the panel in front of him, “Hence why someone has to be monitoring her around the clock,” he sighed, before fully directing his attention to her, “I'm not going to sugarcoat it Ma'am, the Normandy is not so much a warship as she is a bunch of experimental systems tossed together that happen to have not exploded yet.”

 

Eva laughed at that, “So were the Apollo rockets, and we would never have gotten to the moon without them.”

 

Adams had to give her a point there, “Yes, but they weren't being shot at. All that I am saying is that if during this mission you have an opportunity to get in some light retrofits it wouldn't go awry.”

 

“What worries you the most, Adams?” That surprised him, and it showed, but the engineer quickly school his features, “Well, most of the plating is lower grade, I mean yes we are a frigate so a dreadnought round is taking us out regardless but right now we could get gutted by any basic surface to air weapon.”

 

Shepard didn't need Adams to draw her a map to know why this was the case, the joint Turian-Human project had not been massively popular to either side, especially when the humans had been trying to build two new classes of ships at the same time.

 

The result had been the scuttling of the Terra Nova class, the only surviving example of the 'pocket' dreadnought project was now in her Mother's control. While the Jupiter super-carrier had quickly went over budget as then head of R&D Admiral Carson quickly lost control of the project, an event that was unlikely to be repeated now that her own Grandfather had taken back his former post.

 

All of that meant that the boondoggle the foreign relations department had cooked up was not a very popular ship with the budget committee, and she was certain that more evidence of this would come to light in time.

 

She let out a sigh, “Alright, I can't promise anything, but if we can't get overhauled at Arcturus, and if we have the downtime, then I will direct us to a private shipyard that I know.”

 

Adams frowned, “Not to overstep, Commander. But if the Alliance won't overhaul us at Arcturus how are we going to do it privately. I'm no expert when it comes to Spectres, but I don't think you can just take what you want.”

 

The woman's mismatched eyes glinted smugly, echoing the smirk on her lips, “I'll pay for it, I'm not ridiculously wealthy but I have enough to get us armored up to spec. Assuming that a small side job we have to do for an undisclosed, pain in the ass, blue bitch goes through,” she paused before laughing a little to herself, “Never set up shop on Illium, trust me on that.”

 

Adams just chuckled a little at that, “I don't think there is much chance of that, I don't really know what I'd do with myself if I left the Alliance.”

 

She let a small smile pull at her lips, “Reminds me of my Grandfather, he never really knew what to do with himself after he retired, his office was always filled with designs that would never get made.” Her smile grew as a memory of him energetically showing her his designs after he realized his Granddaughter took after him.

 

“I'll take any comparison to the Old Man that I can, Ma'am.” She chuckled at his nickname, one that her Father had unintentionally created after he had nonchalantly called his Father that during the negotiations with the Colonials.

 

Both of the human's attention was grabbed as one of the doors opened revealing Tali who was holding a small cot, having said that she was happy to setup near the drive core. Having previously mentioned something about the noise of the core room being comforting.

 

Adam's gaze though returned to the Spectre, finding her crimson orb already fixed upon him, “How's she doing, not causing you any trouble?”

 

Adams couldn't help but laugh at that, “Trouble? No, she's a godsend, that girl has taken to this ship better than the rest of my staff put together, and she hasn't even been here for a day. Give her a few more weeks and I'll start worrying about my own job.” His smile though indicated that he was joking in good fun, but it caused the blonde to frown.

 

Garrus was officially being paid by the Hierarchy for this mission, Wrex, well she could pay Wrex if he wanted to be paid, sometimes for him a good fight was literally payment enough. Jack was handled by the Alliance, though it would be some time before she got her first paycheque.

 

But Tali was essentially an unpaid volunteer, and if she was also pulling double duty as an engineer then Shepard would need to see if the girl would accept some form of compensation.

 

“I've got to go.” Adams nodded, though he said nothing as the white armored form of the Spectre moved away from his station, and over to where the Quarian was setting up.

 

“Tali.” The sound of her name caused the purple clothed alien to turn, her glowing eyes regarding to human woman with, some kind of emotion. Eva still couldn't read Quarian body language that well, but she also wasn't amazing with reading people to begin with.

 

“Oh, Spectre, or is it Commander now?” Shepard opened her mouth to answer but Tali plowed forward, “I'd like to thank you for letting me join, this ship really is amazing. It's just so advanced, and well the drive core, I've never seen anything like it!” In that moment the Quarian was every bit the young woman who was enthralled to be immersed in something she loved, not a person who had been extremely close to being executed on the orders of a rogue Spectre.

 

“Commander will do fine, Tali. And the Normandy is a prototype, but I'll agree with you, I'm rather glad that we nabbed her.” She laughed at the Quarian's enthusiastic nod, “I hear that you have been helping around down here.”

 

Tali's illuminated eyes widened, “Kee'lah, did I do something wrong? I was just coming down to setup my things and some of the crewmen were having trouble with managing the core, I'm sorry if I caused any trouble.” Shepard couldn't help but laugh at the sheepishness of the comment, which caused Tali's eyes to narrow noticeably, which of course just caused the blonde to laugh louder.

 

She held up her hand to stop the Quarian from doing whatever she was contemplating doing to the Spectre, “I'm not laughing at you, Tali, well I suppose I kind of am.” That of course just caused the younger female to noticeably stiffen, “Sorry, that came out wrong. I just meant that you've only been the ship for a little over half a day, and Adams already tells me your figuring it out faster than his own handpicked crew.”

 

She took a breath to calm down her giggles, “But the first thing you ask me, is if you did something wrong by helping out, so I'm sorry, but I find that hilarious.” Eva paused for a moment, smiling softly as the Quarian's stance relaxed, “And I wanted to ask, well not ask but offer you something, but only if you want it.”

 

Tali tilted her head, “Offer me something?” The human nodded, “Yes, if you are going to be risking your life with me on the ground, and pulling double duty on the Normandy, then I feel like you deserve some compensation. I can pay you a wage equivalent to that of what an Alliance combat engineer gets if you were interested.”

 

Shepard swore that Tali's helmeted head tilted even farther, “You want to pay me?”

 

Shepard frowned a little, “Of course I want to pay you, all the non-Alliance personnel are here for their own reasons, but that doesn't mean that they aren't being paid by someone for their efforts. I don't see why you should be the only unpaid volunteer on this little hunt of ours.”

 

Tali was quiet for a few moments, before she, almost tentatively, nodded, “I wouldn't be opposed to being paid. It's just that, in the flotilla we don't do a job for money. We do a job because it needs to be done.”

 

Shepard nodded in understanding, “And I understand that, but we aren't in the flotilla and here if you do a job you get paid for it.” She paused before grimacing, “I wasn't insulting the flotilla, I just meant that you deserve to be paid like everyone else on the ship.”

 

Tali laughed at the sudden backpedaling of the Spectre, “It's alright, Shepard. I understand what you mean. And thank you, truly. Not many people are as, well not many people are like you.” The statement caused a frown to cross the Spectre's features, the woman had never understood why the Geth incident had caused the entirety of Council space to treat the now homeless species like they were trash, and the fact that she didn't allow an event that happened before WWI on Earth to cloud her judgment made her an oddity just further annoyed her.

 

But she also knew better than to directly address the fact, as regardless of how she felt about it, it did not change the fact regarding how the vast majority of people interacted with the Quarians. And so she just gave the Quarian woman a smile that she hoped covered her own anger at the situation, “Well, I am one of a kind after all.”

 

Tali let out a small giggle at that, which caused Shepard to chuckle in return, but as she glanced at the time she frowned as Evalyn had other tasks to accomplish, and so she just gave Tali one final smirk, “I'll check back in with you later, I should go and make sure that Jack hasn't started pulling off the bulkheads upstairs because she's bored.”

 

Tali couldn't help but nod in agreement, having heard of the female biotic's, tendencies.

 

“If you could tell her to not levitate the equipment that would also be a help.”

 

Shepard just laughed at that as she left engineering, throwing a casual affirmative over her shoulder to the Quarian.

 

S&S

 

Hannah Shepard, a woman who in a past life had been known as Eva Core, stared at the reports coming in to her. Some days she almost pitied the fact that Jack had had to deal with this by himself for over two decades, and in those moments she almost could understand how Cerberus had fallen as far as it had.

 

But it only took Akuze to remind her that Jack had lost sight of what Cerberus' original goal had been, an organization whose objective was to safeguard humanity against the foreign aggression of the Council races.

 

Hannah, Eva, had been there from the beginning. John, the man she had married, who had been the Father of her child had known of her dual loyalty, but he too had been a man of dark secrets, and he had understood why she did what she did. But at the same time he didn't agree with Cerberus' methods, and had rebuffed any attempts she had made to bring him into the Cerberus decision making process.

 

Of course Harrison had also learned of her connection with the, then, Alliance associated group. Even retired the man had wielded incredible influence, and had used it in the singular purpose to keep his beloved grandchild out of the schemes of her parents. And honestly Hannah couldn't hold that against he man, they may have plenty of legitimate grievances towards each other but the man had treated her biological daughter as the important thing in his life, which was likely true given that his wife Mary had died several years prior to Eva's birth.

 

But now she was loyal only to Orthus, the organization that had ironically taken its moniker from the nickname assigned to it by her own biological Daughter.

 

Orthus; who was the brother of Cerberus, protector of the red cattle under his master Eurytion; himself a son of Ares. Until of course they had been killed by Heracles, but Hannah wasn't overly worried about a man wearing a lion skin holding a club coming for her head anytime soon.

 

Her sigh filled the room, the move was taking much too long, the science team they had insisted that they would be unable to move all of their equipment on board the Nova without negatively affecting the experiment currently underway. Miranda had argued that they simply gut the experiment in question, but many of the team involved felt that they were close to a breakthrough in regards to the thralls. And regardless of any personal misgivings Hannah may have about the creatures she also acknowledged their potential usefulness as shock troops, and so she was giving them more time before she shut down their work.

 

The rest of the base though had been nearly stripped, and so she had given Miranda free reign to put the Nova through her paces, and her surrogate Daughter had not disappointed.

 

The Nova's effectiveness had increased in drills by nearly thirty five percent, though she knew that that number would not be enough for her raven haired girl.

 

It actually warmed Hannah's heart that Eva and Miri were developing a friendship on their own, she had always wished that her two girls could have grown up together, but it was never an option that had been available to the former Cerberus agent.

 

The blonde woman let out a groan as she stood up, there was only so long she could sit at a desk and so she found herself walking briskly through the base to try to alleviate her boredom.

 

Hannah had always been a woman of action, she had been the first to volunteer for Jack Harper's little unofficial resistance movement that had resulted in three humans capturing a Turian General. Of course that same man, Desolas Arterius, would turn out to be a madman, obsessed with attempting to use an artifact hidden on Shanxi to improve his position in Turian society.

 

But that was jumping ahead a few chapters, Jack and Ben had ended up exposed to the device that Desolas had been after, the device had 'killed' Ben, and had given Jack cybernetics implants that at the very least let him understand any language he had come across, to Hannah's knowledge. Of course Ben had later been revealed to be alive as an almost symbiotic slave to the very device that had killed him, and Desolas had taken advantage of the fact that Jack was also connected to the artifact. Using it as a trap on Illium to capture both Harper and Core, to only then transport them to Palaven where he planned to regain his status by bringing back the Valluvian Priests; a religious order from the depths of the Hierarchies past.

 

Of course the 'priests' had been more concerned with protecting the device, and Harper, along with Core, had been able to convince Desolas' younger brother, Saren, that what was occurring would only harm the Hierarchy. Saren had called in an airstrike to obliterate the complex, and both Jack and Eva escaped, after they made sure to destroy the artifact that Desolas had gone to such great lengths to uncover.

 

Eva herself had killed Ben, though he had still managed to get in a few good hits before he stopped fighting for good.

 

To this day she wondered if he would have been freed from the devices control had she tried to wound, not to kill. But she had soon joined Jack in his new organization Cerberus, and with a new identity had joined the Alliance, though she had soon found herself pulled into John Shepard's orbit, quickly falling in love with the brash man.

 

A year after the FCW the pair's only biological child was born, Evalyn had been the only thing that her Father in law had approved of when it came to his Son, and more specifically his Wife. Though that same love for his Grandchild had led to the man explaining in no uncertain terms that any attempt to induct Evalyn into Cerberus would result in the older Shepard using every resource available to him to take her away from her parents.

 

A threat which Hannah fully believed he would have carried out, and so she had left Eva in the dark, about both Cerberus and Miranda, the aftereffects of that decision still being felt to this moment thanks to the non-existent contact between the two women.

 

She let out a long sigh as she came to one of the larger interior spaces, the hollowed out asteroid was one of several bases Orthus had in deep space, and more often then not they simply built the rooms and then figured out what to put in them afterwards. This room had ended up becoming a training room, complete with a small combat sim arena for practicing tactics on a variety of enemy types.

 

“Up for some late night training, Hannah?” The blonde turned her head, her eyes falling on the form of Julian, a man that she had known since before the founding of Cerberus.

 

“Only if you are prepared to get some more humility knocked into you,” her perpetual frown quirked at the edges some, a small tell that caused the big man to grin at her as the pair made their way to an area designated for close quarters training.

 

Hannah had always excelled at close quarters, a trait that she had attempted and ultimately failed to pass down to her Daughters. Certainly Miri was capable with a knife when she actually was forced into the situation, and Eva had picked up some moves from that Asari friend of hers, it didn't change the fact that neither of them held a candle to her, or that they were both exceedingly comfortable in relying on their abilities to get them out of trouble.

 

She ducked underneath the first swing that was thrown at her, slamming a solid blow into the man's ribs in return, a grunt emerged from him as he attempted to back off, but his legs were soon after swept from under him as Hannah swung a low kick into his lower legs, causing another quirk of her lips as his body hit the mat.

 

She had learned a long time ago that unless you are a Krogan, a punch still hurts if delivered right. And given that she had specialized in small unit tactics and infiltration for years it had been a boon for her to train her own body into a weapon.

 

That was the difference between her and her biological Daughter that scared her, Hannah had trained to become a weapon, Evalyn literally transformed parts of herself into them, and one day her child was going to be gone, and a weapon in her shape would be all that was left.

 

She had spent many nights agonizing over that fact.

 

She grabbed the incoming arm that was directed at her, using the power behind it to haul Julian into an impromptu toss to the mat, which she followed up with a kick to the back of the head, just to remind him who he was dealing with.

 

The mars born man though just glared at her, rubbing the back of his head as he pulled himself to his feet, “If you weren't interested in sparring you could have said so, Hannah.” An explosive sigh came out of her lips as she realized he was right, “Sorry, you're right.”

 

She grimaced as the man winced as his hand hit the spot where she had hit him, “Sorry.” But the man just shrugged it off, shuffling over to plop himself down on a nearby bench.

 

“Don't worry about it, boss. But do you want to tell me what's up?” Hannah sat herself down next to him, sighing as she did so, “This whole move is driving me nuts, and it is making me realize how close we are to turning into the very thing we left.”

 

Julian's dark eyes shifted on to her, “Hey, you won't let that happen. Plus we have good people here, I mean did anyone actually think that Leng was anything but a psychopath?” The man paused to see if he got a chuckle, before continuing, “So the way I see it, if we hire another Leng, then I might concede you have a point.”

 

Hannah did laugh a little at that, but she didn't agree with him, because she had known plenty of good people who were still with Cerberus. One of whom she missed everyday, regardless of what had happened between them.

 

S&S

 

 

Shepard's eyes traveled towards the timer blinking in her HUD, informing her that it was time for the Normandy to set off, and so she had to put off exploring the crew deck until later, instead exiting the elevator and making her way directly upstairs to the CIC.

 

Pressley gave her a terse nod, which she returned as she made her way down the ops hall and into the cockpit.

 

“Ready, Joker?” The scruffy pilot jerked in his seat, “Jesus, can you please wear a bell or something.”

 

A smirk played across her lips, “Nope, though I believe you mentioned something about a rear view mirror. You might want to look into that.”

 

Joker gave a small chuckle at that, muttering “Spectre's in mirror may be closer than they appear.” But a sudden movement on the dock drew their attention. As both David and her Grandfather made their way on to the dock, there to watch their recently returned family member throw herself back into the breach once again.

 

“Doesn't feel right doing this without him, I mean, this was his ship.” Joker's words surprised her, but she had to admit that she knew little about him aside for what Anderson had told her. She nodded in agreement, “He's like a second Father to me, the fact that I'm literally stealing the ship he had been working towards.” Her voice drifted off, but she realized that Joker had turned to regard her.

 

“None of the crew blame you for what happened, it was just bullshit politics and the Captain lost because of it,” he was quiet for a few moments before continuing, “The crew is behind you, they know you went above and beyond to get that evidence against Saren, and we know that you're our best shot at taking him down before he does anything worse.”

 

She blinked a few times, unsure how to feel about the sudden support from the pilot. But he cut her off before she could properly thank him, “If you'd like to address the ship before we depart, now would probably be a good time. Plus if it sucks you can just blame the time of day, I mean really who gives a speech this late. Not cool, Commander.”

 

She chuckled a little, but quickly linked in to the ships PA system, “Normandy, this is the Commander.”

 

She paused, “You are all aware of what occurred on Eden Prime, this crew more than anyone else in the Galaxy knows what is at stake at this very moment, and it is for that reason that you will be my support in this hunt.”

 

She glanced out the window at Anderson, hoping that he would be proud of this little impromptu speech, “You are the best the Alliance has to offer, and those that I have brought along with me are some of the finest examples of their respective races that I could ask for, we will all be tested before we bring Saren to justice, but we will rise to and exceed any of the challenges we may face.”

 

“This will not be an easy task before us, Saren is a legend for a reason. He has decades of experience, and he will be prepared, but so will we.”

 

“Remember your training, remember your oaths, and remember those that we have lost, because it is those names that we fight for. Everyone report to your duty stations and prepare for liftoff from the Citadel, Commander out.”

 

She let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in, “I hate speeches.”

 

“Ya, it really shows, if you want to try again feel free.” She hit Joker lightly on the shoulder, ignoring his mumbled cry of, “Watch the bones.” As she spun to make her way back toward the CIC, calling over her shoulder to the pilot, “Set course to Therum, Joker. We have a Prothean expert to pick up.”

 

She followed that up with a sentence hastily mumbled to herself, “Who happens to be my pissed off estranged girlfriend.”

 

S&S

 

Jack glanced up from the table in the med-bay as Shepard walked in, granting the younger girl a small smile as she leaned her armored form against the wall across from Jack's position. “So, how did the exam go?”

 

Jack scowled at her, “You know that I hate shit like this, and I swear that bitch didn't have to do half of those tests.”

 

A sudden cough drew their attention, as the silver haired doctor walked into the room, “I can assure you that this, bitch, did indeed have to do all of those tests, Dear..” She turned her gaze to Shepard, “I'm sorry, Commander. But I can't clear Jack here for duty yet, she's still malnourished and I'd like to get a friend of mine on Arcturus to take a look at her implant as well.”

 

Jack opened her mouth to protest but was silenced with a glare from Shepard, “It's your call, Doctor. Though I would need to know who this friend of yours is first, Cerberus has a long reach and I don't intend on gift wrapping Jack for them.” Chakwas hummed in agreement as she gestured for Jack to leave the room, an offer which the newly minted private took to with gusto.

 

The matron like woman turned towards her, “Commander, was there anything else you required?” Her gaze showed that she knew that Evalyn wasn't here solely for a social call, causing the blonde to give a weak nod, “I need you to do another scan, just to confirm that there has been no change.”

 

The silver haired woman gestured for her to get on the examination table, quickly swiping her specialized omni over the Spectre, the device quickly linking up to the various devices built into the table itself. “I'm not detecting any changes with the preliminary scans, are you experiencing any negative side-effects?”

 

Shepard let out a low chuckle, “Nightmares that contain memories that aren't mine, occasional flashes of the beacon's message when I'm awake,” she was silent for a moment, “That mostly happens if the word reaper comes up.”

 

She tensed, expecting another flash, but when none came she let herself relax. Chakwas of course was anything but, he eyes scanning over the data in front of her as a frown played across her features. “I'm not seeing anything that explains what you are experiencing. Your dreams may be explained to your subconscious mind activating those portions of your mind that the beacon effected, something that your Graybox avoids if my understanding of the technology is correct.”

 

She shut off her omni with a huff, as she moved over to her desk to bring up some case files stored on the drive. “These flashes you are experiencing could be a result of your Graybox attempting to access bits of the data that you do understand, but the data is,” she paused trying to find a word, before the blonde offered up her own suggestion, “Corrupted?”

 

“Yes, exactly. The Beacon most likely was already damaged, so it stands to argue that maybe the message you received was incomplete, and even if it was complete there is no way to be sure that you could even understand the whole thing.” Shepard nodded, but then her eyes lit up, “If this is true for me, then it could be true for Saren as well.”

 

Chakwas was thoughtful for a few moments, before tentatively nodding, “The Turian brain is much more similar to ours than say an Asari, it would stand to reason I suppose that Saren too, if he did activate the beacon would need at least someway to understand the message. But why not just have Benezia activate the device, she seemed to be just as invested in bringing them back as Saren.”

 

The blonde shook her head, “Saren hates relying on others, and letting her use it would put him in a subordinate position, and he would never allow himself to be at the mercy of another, it's just not in his nature.”

 

Chakwas looked thoughtfully at the younger woman for a few moments, “If that is the case then he will need to fine some way to decode the information, though I am not sure where to even begin in regards to that.”

 

Shepard sighed, nodding in agreement, “Doctor T'Soni may be able to help there, she's spent a number of years investigating the Protheans, perhaps that research had led to at least a deeper understanding than I currently possess.”

 

“Well I will send out some feelers of my own to some colleagues of mine, in the meanwhile I want you to stop by regularly for scans, I don't want to get complacent just because something hasn't happened yet.”

 

Evalyn nodded as she stood up, “I'll stop by after the mission, and I'd appreciate it if you kept this just between us. I don't want the crew worrying about whether or not I'm in my right mind, they have enough to worry about as it is.”

 

The Doctor gave her a sad smile, “I understand completely, Dear. And I won't breath a word of it, I swear.”

 

Shepard let a small smile show, before she left the room, only to find Jack lying on her back on top of the mess table, “You know people eat there.”

 

Jack just shrugged, “Not like anyone is up right now, most of the crew is asleep in the pods.” Shepard glanced down the stairway she indicated, before turning her gaze back to Jack, “And you aren't in there, because?”

 

Jack was silent for several moments but glancing away from the Spectre, “I don't like em, too small, reminds me of, well shit I don't want to remember.” Shepard frowned, but didn't say anything, instead she moved to sit down in a chair in Jack's line of sight, “Jacqueline, you know that you can come to me with these things.”

 

Jack turned her head away from the older woman, “Who said I wanted to come to you, I did fine on my own before, and just because I took this offer doesn't mean I'm just some weak little kid you need to take care of.”

 

“I don't think you're weak, Jacqueline.” The younger girl's body flared as she spun to face the Spectre, “Then why are you listening to that quack, I'm fucking good to fight, but you just fucking listened to her, you didn't even let me talk! What the hell is the point of me being here if I don't get to fuck some shit up?”

 

Shepard just held her gaze, and while she didn't expect Jack to try anything she was ready to strike if she had to, “Because, Jack,” the biotic actually winced at the use of Spectre dropping her usual moniker, “I did not bring you here to, 'fuck some shit up.'” The blonde shook her head sadly, “I brought you on board because I know you could do well here, if you let yourself. And I figured it might be easier for everyone involved if you spent this, transitional period, under my command.”

 

The Commander sighed, “Jacqueline, you won't be under my command forever, unless you aren't really serious about this. But if you are, you need to get used to following orders, you need to understand that a Doctor overrules anyone when it comes to medical matters, and you need to come to someone if you need help. Now come on, get up.”

 

The Spectre led them back to the med-bay, causing the Doctor to glance up again, “Shepard, how can I help the two of you this time?” Shepard pointed to the small door behind the Doctor, “Would it be possible for me to have Jacqueline bunk in there, she's indisposed to the sleeper pods and there is limited space on the ship.”

 

The Doctor just nodded with a small smile, “Of course, it is mostly just used for storage as is, I don't think they really had any clue what to do with the space. Let me move out a few of the more hazardous materials, and then we can get a cot set up for her.”

 

As the older woman disappeared into the room Jack sheepishly looked at the floor, “Thanks, Shepard.”

 

Shepard smiled, “You're welcome, Jacqueline. And make sure you thank Chakwas as well, it is always a good idea to make friends with the person who is going to be patching you up.” A yawn escaped the Spectre, “Well, I'm going to get some sleep, we won't arrive at Therum for at least a day after we exit the nearest relay.”

 

Jack just nodded in response, moving over to assist the Doctor who had just reappeared her arms full of several boxes. The scene caused the Commander to smile, at least Jacqueline was trying, and that meant a lot.

 

S&S

 

_The sky was tinted an angry shade of red, as crimson beams shot through the skies, creating immense furrows of super heated, almost glass like canyons in the ground as they struck._

 

_As she glanced around she realized that she was standing in Vancouver, on the very top of the Alliance command center there, watching as more of those gigantic ships came thundering to the ground around her._

 

_A sudden terrible screech caused her to look up, and she could only gawk as the form of a Jupiter class came hurtling to the ground, a massive ball of fire and screeching metal that tore an ugly gash through the heart of the megacity as it struck the ground._

 

“ _Commander! What the hell are we supposed to do!?” She turned towards the panicking man in an officers uniform, idly becoming aware that it wasn't the sky that was red, but instead her entire vision was tinted, leaving everything to look like it was stained in blood._

 

“ _You're supposed to die.” The words came from her lips, but she had no control over them, nor did she when she began to walk up to the man, thrusting her synthetic arm through his chest, exiting on the other side of his back before retracting the arm. The man's body slumping to the ground as she almost casually watched it twitch and writhe, she knelt down closing his eyes with her other arm, one that was traced with angry red lines._

 

“ _You should have known better than to listen to a catalyst.”_

 

Shepard shot up from the bed, sweat soaking her body as she quickly stared down at her still natural hand, needing the assurance that it was in fact still her own. As she twisted it back and forth, a sigh of relief escaped her after she saw that there was indeed no strange cybernetics twisting their way through her body, “Fucking beacon.”

 

She collapsed backwards into the damp mattress, before a grimace at the uncomfortable nature of her position caused her to stand up, grumbling as she moved to the small shower built into her new quarters. She let out a small groan as the water began to slam into her, and while she would have loved to just sit in here to try and work through what she had just experienced, a lifetime of being a navy brat already had her going through the motions to finish up as quickly as possible.

 

And so after the bare minimum amount of time she shut off the water and grabbed a towel from the nearby wall slot, still grumbling as she dressed herself, exiting her cabin in an N7 tank along with a pair of black Alliance BDU pants, cursing silently under her breath as she pulled her, too long, hair into a somewhat messy ponytail.

 

Her eyes swept the room to find it mostly empty, though her, literally, internal clock told her that she still had about another either hours or so, which meant that she had some time to eat before she began her rounds again. She pulled out a pair of MRE's, sadly enough looking forward to eating even this crappy food, just as long as it was human, having been forced to sustain herself off of a mostly Asari diet for years.

 

She hated seafood, which was apparently the only meat that was normally included in an average Asari diet.

 

So as she settled down at the table to dig in, she was forced to admit she wasn't lying that the 'steak' in this MRE was one of the best things she had tasted in ages, though her slightly embarrassing reaction caused a slight chuckle from behind her, as she turned to see Kaidan holding his own tray. Swallowing her current mouthful she gave him a wry smile, “You can't judge me, you have no idea how long it has been since I had red meat.”

 

Kaidan just smiled at that, sitting down across from her, “I just figured you were like most biotics I know, whenever you need the calories everything just tastes good.” Shepard had to concede that he had a point there, though she knew that L2's burned through more calories regardless of actual usage compared to the later L3's.

 

“You don't mind that I kind of saddled Jacqueline on you? I just thought that she might respond better to someone of your, experience.” She had chosen her words carefully, and he picked up on that fact. His brown eyes sweeping over her looking for, something, condemnation, pity? Upon finding neither he just shrugged lightly, “She's got a lot of issues to deal with, but I can see why you would want her along, she has a lot of potential and I don't just mean because of her biotics.”

 

Shepard nodded in agreement as she continued to wolf down her meal, “Glad that you agree, and since she is going to be grounded until we can swing by Arcturus would you mind running her through some loose drills. I need her able to understand the orders I'm giving in the field when she is ready, otherwise she might blow up something I want her to take cover behind.” They both laughed lightly at that, but seeing that her second meal pack was nearly gone Kaidan decided to ask a question of his own.

 

“Why did you take the Spectre position? I mean you seem like a good person, and I just can't see someone like you doing, well what they do.” Shepard had to laugh a little at that, “I'm not good, Kaidan, I'm just morally complicated.” She held up her natural hand as if holding something up for him to look at, “Will I hurt someone to get something I require for my mission, yes, and without hesitation.” She dropped that hand, only to raise her synthetic one, “But I also don't condone cruelty for the sake of it, not even against a synthetic like the Geth. Cruelty earns you nothing, it only takes away a part of your soul.”

 

Kaidan though focused on one particular portion of that statement, “You would really treat the Geth like any other Sentient? After what they did?” Shepard sighed, that had been a misstep on her part, but she wasn't going to apologize for her own beliefs, “Yes, I would. That won't stop me from killing every single one of them that I come across, but I won't have people playing with their kills either. You can pass that along to the rest of the marines, I don't care how unpopular that makes me.”

 

She stood up stiffly, depositing her tray into one of the receptacles before leaving, while Kaidan just digested her words, knowing that somewhere in that righteous anger was he had detected something that he was very familiar with, guilt.

 

S&S

 

Shepard moved over to Ashley who was working her way through the ships stockpile of rifles, cleaning and reassembling them back in perfect order. “You know if you just paced around the deck it would be just as effective.” Ashley cursed as the part in her hand slipped, tumbling to the ground, “Will you stop doing that!”

 

“Doing what?” Ashley shot a glare at the blonde, “You know perfectly well, I know you've been sneaking around the ship scaring the shit out of people. In case you don't remember you used to do that back in boot too.”

 

Shepard just waved her hand in dismissal, “Ashley I think I know why you were never assigned to a post in space, being up here in the void has made you all paranoid and jumpy, you should go and get Chakwas to look at it, maybe you have some kind of space dementia.” Ashley tossed the part at the Spectre's head, who snatched it out of the air with her cybernetic limb, “Ash, that could have hurt someone, namely you, had you hit the napping Krogan.”

 

Ash glanced at Wrex's red bulk, “Does he always sleep this much?” And as though summoned a grumbling answer came out of the individual in question, “Whenever a bunch of pyjaks aren't gibbering nearby.”

 

Ash just mouthed 'pyjaks?' at Shepard, who shrugged, “Beats me, though from what I've learned they are excruciatingly annoying.” Wrex grumbled again, which caused Shepard to sigh, “Fine then, I'll leave, Ash make sure you are at the debriefing, bring sleeping beauty along too.”

 

As she turned to walk away Ash called after her, “Chief Reilly wanted to talk to you, Shepard. He's working over by the requisitions officer.”

 

Shepard nodded, and made her way across the bay over to the combat engineer.

 

“Chief Reilly you wanted to speak with me?” The approach of the Spectre caused the man to pull himself from under the turret he was working on, the object in question having taken a bad hit during the fighting on Eden Prime. “Yes, Ma'am. I was hoping to ask if you knew when we would be getting some more men, its just me, Mills, an' the two privates. Not exactly the force I'd expect to be sent after a Spectre, no offense, Ma'am.”

 

Shepard shook her hear, “None taken, and you're right, you aren't a Spectre killing force. And even after we pick up reinforcements you likely still won't be.” She sighed, gesturing around the cargo bay, “We are just the tip of the spear here, once we figure out what Saren is up to, then you can expect to see us go in guns blazing with half the Citadel Fleet behind us. But for now we do the legwork, and that is going to mean investigating a lot of leads.”

 

She moved over to look at the turret, humming slightly at the modifications that had been done to the base design, “Once we pick up, Doctor T'Soni, I expect we will be heading to Arcturus in about a weeks time, I wanted to check in on something that I was helping Admiral Kahoku on before we leave this region.”

 

She groaned slightly as she stood up, “After that you will have your detachment, you will be acting as the senior Noncom, with Ashley after you for seniority, though I plan on taking Chief Williams with my own squad with some regularity.”

 

The bald man crossed his arms at that, “We won't be accompanying you as part of your squad?” And the man actually looked insulted when she shook her head, causing her to laugh, “Chief, I've been a Spectre for five years. The largest group I've gone into combat with in those years was four, so trust me when I say that I won't be running around with a full marine battle group. You and your marines will be deployed to strategically important zones, but I'm not risking them in open combat with Saren.”

 

“But ya would risk, the Quarian, and that girl of yours with the tats.” Shepard frowned, “I wasn't aware there was a bar that I had to pass to give orders on my ship, Chief. Understand that those I have handpicked to come with me are the ones I feel can come out of an engagement with Saren and not be lying dead at my feet when the dust has settled. I've had enough marines die under my command as it is.” She began to walk away but passed, tossing a look over her shoulder, “The right stabilizer is fucked by the way, might want to fix that.”

 

As if commanded by her voice the turret suddenly listed sideways, the older man muttering under his breath, “Cybernetic witch.”

 

S&S

 

 

Joker had somehow managed to get to the system early, just smuggling stating that there was a reason why he was on board. And so Shepard had begun to devour the sensor data that was coming in, though upon realizing that they were seeing Geth signals coming from the planet she had hastily ordered her ground team up to the briefing room.

 

The team, minus Jack who was still passed out in her cubby hole were starring at the terrain diagrams she had ripped from HMEC's servers, “Okay this is Therum, a corporate colony run by Heavy Metals ExoMining of China, and I think everyone with a vague understanding of Earth geography can figure out where all the materials refined her goes.”

 

“HMEC is willing to pay us to solve this little snafu that is currently occurring, so nice to get paid for something we were already going to do, and the fact that they don't know that the Geth are here for Liara isn't something they need to know.” That drew a deep chuckle from Wrex, along with a few grins from some of the others.

 

“The Geth have set up a few emplacements near one of the smaller refineries, luckily it was abandoned after the miners stumbled upon the nearby Prothean site. Liara will be somewhere in that region, along with three other Asari bodyguards.” Ashley frowned, “Why does a researcher need bodyguards?”

 

Wrex surprisingly answered, “Lot of money in Prothean tech, pirates like to kidnap people like T'Soni and put them to work trying to find things they can sell for a big profit.” Shepard nodded, not really wanting to go into the actual reason why Liara kept guards around.

 

“Kaidan, Garrus, Tali, Ashley, and myself are going to be dropping down in this instance, we are unfortunately for the time being unable to fit more in the Mako until Garrus and I get to take a good look at it.” She shot a glance at Wrex, “Sorry, Wrex, but taking you along means I can't fit another two people in the Mako right now.”

 

Wrex grumbled something about human vehicles being too tiny, but no one paid much attention to him.

 

She pointed at the sensory data that showed several Geth ships orbiting the planet, “We currently aren't outfitted to reasonably combat the Geth in space, so this will be a stealth snatch and grab, we get in and get out with the most speed that we can. The Normandy can stay in stealth for only a few hours, so no stopping for souvenirs.”

 

Ashley pipped up again, “And what if this Liara is hostile, she could be working with the Geth.”

 

Shepard turned a cool gaze to the brunette, “I have known Liara for several years now, but I will keep your misgivings in mind when we find her.”

 

She shut off the display, as she swept her gaze over them, “Ground team get your gear and prepare for combat, we have some thrilling heroics to do.”

 

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so freaking aggravating to write, cannot fully elaborate on the pure frustration I felt trying to finish this thing, and I still don't like it! But here, have a chapter.
> 
> I am also going back to school now in a few months, though I'm doubtful that it will effect my writing much, seeing as how I am effectively trading forty hours a week of working, with twenty hours a week of school, plus probably sixteen hours of work still.
> 
> Liara's coming! I hope you guys are excited!


	8. The Good Doctor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an extremely busy week ahead of me, so I pushed this chapter out a quickly as I could. Little bit on the short side for me, but that is because I wanted to keep it focused.
> 
> And for the record it has been a long time since I played ME 1, so no don't expect everything to line up perfectly with the game. Geography is at the mercy of plot!
> 
> Also I set up a youtube channel for character themes, well aside for Ashley's whom I couldn't find a good link to the Protomen cover, just search up my name for the channel and you should find it. As I realize that no one listens to these songs I'll just post character themes, and a credit song that I put in at the end for fun, credit songs will be available on the aforementioned channel as well.
> 
> For the record I believe that AO3 does let you link in stuff, but I just manually imported all this stuff in from FF.Net so I didn't really feel up to actually linking up all of this work. And if you can't, well whatever.

S&S

 

The Normandy ghosted through the system, slipping past the two Geth cruisers that were holding orbit over the planet, Tali insisted that the synthetic ships didn't even possess viewports so there was absolutely no chance of them detecting the prototype frigate.

 

Evalyn was not so optimistic, and so she, along with the rest of the ground team were sequestered inside of the Mako. Awaiting the green light for them to drop down to the surface below, where they would hopefully not land in a pool of magma of the like. Her hands tightly gripped the controls, a lethal combination of helplessness, anxiety, and just pure old fashioned rage had her on edge. And the lack of a body in the passenger seat next to her showed that the rest of her team were very aware of her current mood.

 

She gave another cursory scan of the available information on their target, Therum was a seismically unstable world, but that was what made it so valuable to HMEC as the instability gave them an almost continual supply of valuable materials to ship back to the homeworld. Shepard herself, despite technically belonging to a small subsection of humanity who actually owned land on Earth, had no love for the homeworld. In fact she believed that the continued restriction on immigration to the colonies was a relic of the Systems war that needed to be abolished, it only made them all the more vulnerable to an attack that managed to punch its way past Arcturus.

 

Her HUD blinked with an all clear and she slammed her foot down, taking the pedal with it. The Mako's tires spun on the deck for a few seconds before finding purchase, and as the tank began to plummet the only sounds were Tali's panicked shouts and Shepard's crazed laughter.

 

The vehicles systems handled the actual landing, tweaking the plummeting objects mass via the eezo core so that when it hit the ground it merely bounced on its stabilizers a few times instead of smashing into the ground. Shepard turned back to look at the rest of the crew in the passenger compartment, her smirk hidden by her newly repaired helmet, “Everyone all right?”

 

Ashley was methodically opening and closing her hands, as if pretending to strangle the Spectre would make the previous moments go away, Kaidan was nonplussed but that was to be expected given that he had seen more space side deployments than Ash. Tali was hyperventilating it seemed, but soon enough her breathing began to steady and she gave Shepard a shaky wave.

 

Garrus though was chuckling from his post on the turret, “Next time try to give me something to hit, a thousand credits say I nail whatever target you pick.” Shepard just laughed, “You have yourself a wager.”

 

She summoned a map into her active HUD with a thought, maneuvering the tank along a small stretch of hardened magma that HMEC had labeled as, 'stable' on their maps. Of course stable apparently meant situated directly next to an active lava flow, so she wasn't too sure how much the corporation really cared for keeping their charts up to date, or the safety of her employees.

 

“Shepard, we've got movement!” A flash erupted on the horizon as a missile left its housing, streaking towards the vehicle. Shepard slammed down on the thruster controls, literally lifting the vehicle over the warhead, “Garrus, is it coming around!”

 

She could hear the Turian shift in his seat, “Negative, just a dummy warhead.” She let out a sigh of relief as Garrus began firing the main cannon, as long as the missiles had only the most basic of tracking packages than she had little to worry about here. But as Garrus cleared out the last of the red armored Geth she realized she had spoken too soon.

 

A squat purple dropship buzzed by overhead, and without dropping speed detached its cargo that slammed into the ground up ahead, unfolding into a Mako sized quadruped. Shepard waved Tali up to the cockpit, “Tali, what am I looking at here?”

 

Tali's helmet poked into the cockpit, taking only a brief glance at the synthetic before answering, “Armature class, used to be used for construction or hauling cargo. It looks to have a modern version of our older accelerator cannon, though I have to assume that it at least has some weapons systems that I am unfamiliar with. The flotilla has only encountered these units rarely, and even then we can't often risk engaging them.”

 

Shepard nodded, gesturing for Tali to pull herself into the passenger seat, “Yell if you spot anything else important,” she slammed her foot down causing the vehicle to lurch forward, “Garrus, light it up.”

 

The cannon boomed in between the steady drum of the heavy accelerator gun, causing the walker's shields to flicker with each hit. She could understand why the synthetic was a potent enemy, as its shields were taking more punishment than a dedicated main battle tank could, but dropping it in the middle of nowhere without any infantry support was simply stupid.

 

The Armature responded with accelerator fire itself, though the Mako's shields held firm again the barrage, it was only when the unit's 'head' began to glow that Tali screamed out, “Pulse cannon!”

 

A glowing projectile erupted from the armature, and while Shepard's HUD lit up with warning in regards to the energy levels of the blast approaching them she was able to lift the Mako over the projectile sending them into a skid that resulted in the Mako slamming into the synthetic.

 

Much to Shepard's, and the entirety of the ground crew, the Armature emitted a squeal of what sounded like pain as one of its forelegs was crushed by the weight of the Mako. Though the electronic scream was ended as Garrus angled the cannon down and blasted the synthetic at point blank range.

 

“Shepard I can see a couple more of them up ahead, I think they have infantry support this time.” Shepard muttered a few choice Asari curses under her breath, slamming a first into the dash angry at the continued obstacles between her and Liara, “They are trying to buy for time, which means they don't have Liara yet.” She quietly muttered to herself, “Please be okay, Li.”

 

She didn't fail to catch the glance that passed between Ashley and Kaidan, but she was not planning on revealing her own personal life to those under her command at this time. “Garrus concentrate on the infantry first, the Armature's might be tough but they will be easier to deal with if I'm not also trying to dodge rocket fire.”

 

She turned around to look at Ashley, who was decked out in her new dark purple armor, “Ash you brought that M-100 I lent you?” Ashley's armored head nodded in acknowledgment, “Good, I want you stationed at the back hatch, when we get in close I want you to pop the hatch and start firing into those walkers. Don't worry about ammunition, the old models can process new projectiles as long as you have the power cells and the omni-gel.”

 

Ash nodded, making her way to the back of the transport, clipping her armored bulk to the reinforced tether so that she wouldn't fall out of the vehicle from Shepard's crazed driving.

 

While Ashley was on the move both Shepard and Garrus had already gone to work, though Shepard had been forced to take a rocket hit in order to avoid one of the pulse blasts. Something was beeping very angrily at them, causing Tali to slip out of her seat to move further back in order to help Kaidan fix whatever had begun sparking, Shepard growled to herself wishing that the designers had thought to put in a forward mounted gun on this fucking tank as she found herself forced to rely entirely on Garrus until they closed the distance.

 

Garrus had eliminated most of the infantry by the time they entered 'knife fight' range, which meant that only one rocket trooper found itself the victim of her road rage, splinters of red metal embedded into the Mako's right forward tire as she plowed through it.

 

As the Mako passed by the walkers Ashley popped open the hatch, which forced Kaidan to project a barrier just behind the heavily armored marine in order to protect the rest of the crew inside from the accelerator fire being directed at them from the armatures.

 

One of the walkers quickly fell to the combined efforts of a dozen rapid grenades and Garrus' impeccable aim with the Mako's turret. But the other was not willing to go down without a fight, lashing out with a pulse blast at close range, taking out both its own shields, and temporarily knocking out the Mako's systems.

 

Shepard cursed as she used her biotics to blow open the emergency hatch above her, grabbing her rifle as she hauled herself out with her artificial arm, emerging from the top hatch just as Ashley unclipped herself from the Mako, and she began to engage the walker while steadily moving farther from the disabled tank.

 

The presence of two smaller targets, along with its original target caused the walker to hesitate momentarily, which would cost the synthetic dearly as its head was suddenly engulfed in a explosion courtesy of Ashley.

 

Shepard for her part had focused her biotics and ripped at one of the synthetics legs, causing the retaliatory shot aimed at Ashley to go wide as the synthetic found itself no longer braced. Though Shepard was quickly forced to crouch behind a hastily erected omni-shield when the synthetics accelerator swiveled to aim at her, while at the same time the synthetic's head moved to track Ashley.

 

The sudden rumble of the Mako coming back to life distracted all the combatants, and the sudden thunderous boom of the cannon removed the already damaged head of the armature, its metal bulk slumping to the ground like some strange stunted metal giraffe.

 

“ _I think that one makes us even Shepard!”_ Garrus' voice came in over her helmet, causing a light laugh from the blonde, “Given that we would all have died if Ashley, and I hadn't distracted it I think you still owe me.” At the mentioned of the brunette, Shepard tapped into the comms again, “You alright, Ash?”

 

It was a few moments before her reply came in, _“I'm fine, Ma'am. Feels good to be taking the fight to these tin cans.”_ Shepard knew what it was like to take out your rage on a hostile, so she couldn't, and wouldn't, discipline Ashley for it unless it turned into sloppiness, “All right, make your way back to the Mako, we've wasted enough time and we haven't even cleared out that camp yet.” 

 

She shipped her rifle on to her back, crawling her way up the side of the tank before dropping herself into the cockpit, reaching up to close the hatch behind her before realizing that it was probably a mile away following the blast she hit it with. Settling herself back down into her seat with a shrug she glanced back, getting an affirmative from Ashley as the brunette locked herself into her seats restraints, the rest of the team already strapped in.

 

This close to the former HMEC camp the maps became substantially more accurate, enabling her to avoid at least two Geth patrols by going off the path that had been cleared by the corporation. She brought the vehicle to a stop just short of the camp, Shepard bringing up the map in her HUD to try and plan out the best approach for the assault on the small facility.

 

While she was studying the map Ashley pipped up from the back, “Why do they even have a gate? I mean wouldn't pirates just land a shuttle in the compound?” Garrus' voice drifted down from the turret, “Most pirates don't have shuttles, so they need to land to get at their prey. The facility here is too small for most ships to land, and combined with the unstable terrain meant that the corporation only had to reinforce a handful of points.”

 

Evalyn cut off the discussion, “But corporate greed took over, it looks like they built a secondary access road to speed up ore transport, we will have to assume the Geth have some turrets watching that path as well, but on the brightside there won't be an abyss spawned gate in the way.” She highlighted a section of fuel tanks inside the facility on their squad HUD, “Everyone remember, avoid these tanks if possible. HMEC is offering a pretty hefty sum for us to take the outpost with minimal damage, and trust me if we blow those tanks the damage will be anything but minimal.”

 

A chorus of affirmatives met her, and so the Mako roared to life once again.

 

They took several hits from the turrets guarding the gate before they could take cover in the secondary access route, though as they rounded the corner Shepard soon discovered that her guess about the turrets had been right.

 

The Mako's turret had more than enough power though, a single shot blowing up the hastily erected defensive structure, and the Turian tracked the second one as the Mako passed by it, blowing it up just before the vehicle entered the seemingly empty compound.

 

The emptiness was soon explained however, as the Mako shuddered violently a trio of explosions going off underneath the armored transport. The trap while not enough to take out the Mako fully, had damaged the drive system enough that the vehicle came to a sudden and final halt. Shepard had already begun moving the moment she had hit the first charge, “Garrus, keep on that turret! Everyone else engage the enemy, keep to the Mako for cover.”

 

For the second time that day she hauled herself out of the top of the cockpit, her right arm already engulfed in a shield as she crouched on top of the vehicle, her left arm firing her Sabre at a steady rate to avoid overheating the main heatsink, such an action would force her to swap over to the backup thermal clip system which the rifle originally used.

 

Ashley had several Geth pinned using the light accelerator cannon she had picked up on the Citadel, while both Kaidan and Tali unleashed tech attacks on several units that attempted to flank the heavily armored woman.

 

Evalyn though found herself knocked off of her perch as a concussive round slammed her square in the back, as yet another of those larger Geth units appeared, shrieking some kind of electronic battlecry at her. Shepard though grabbed a nearby capacitor with her biotics, she had never been a powerhouse biotically but she had amazing control, which she showcased her as the slammed the electrically potent device into the synthetic. A flash filled the air as the two collided, and soon after the geth stuttered, crashing to the ground as smoke rose from its ruined body, an aftereffect of it it effectively having been struck by lighting several times over.

 

A trio of dull thumps sounded from the other side of the Mako, and as Evalyn rounded the vehicle she saw Tali's missile drones pounding away at several geth in cover as the marines flanked.

 

All the while Garrus had been steadily using the accelerator cannon to take out any target her could, though he had avoided using the main cannon, keeping in mind Shepard's warning.

 

It soon became clear that this battle was won, though it did take them another ten minutes to do a check of the outpost, finding several Geth attempting to hide in the prefab structures nearby. And as the ground team reformed around the Mako, Shepard blew out a sigh of frustration as she took in the damage done to their transport.

 

“Alright, Tali, Kaidan, you two will fix the Mako. If it doesn't take too long I want you to come and meet up with us, if not signal for the Normandy to swing by and pick you up. Ashley, Garrus, we're going to move up to the ruins, Liara's base camp there will give us some clues as to where her current whereabouts are.”

 

Her team moved to follow her directives without complaint, though she was secretly glad that she had to split the two humans up, as they had pretty much already made up their minds about Liara. Tali, and Garrus both had some mild issues with their own parents, Fathers in both of their cases, so it was likely that the two of them were letting their own biases play in to their own decision to not judge Liara based on her own Mother..

 

Of course she would have preferred a working vehicle, as a trek across Therum had not been on her to do list for today. Eventually though they came across a jagged path that had been blown through the canyon wall, “Looks like Liara's camp should be just inside this ravine, if she stuck to the standard MO the camp should be somewhere inside the mine itself.”

 

The trio cautiously made their way forward, Garrus scouting ahead with his rifle, using a rock to block most of his form as the two humans hung back behind the stone walls, “We've got at least seven geth down there, looks like one with a rifle in an overwatch position, the other six are patrolling.”

 

Shepard chanced a glanced around her cover, taking in the area at a glance, “Alright, Garrus take out the sniper, Ash I want you covering me, I'll advance.” She gave Garrus the signal, taking off at the run the moment he fired, her shields flaring lightly as the Geth reacted to the sudden assault.

 

Ashley's deluge of fire slowed down the Geth advance, though she was forced to halt her fire as the gun went into cooldown, “Citadel piece of shit!”

 

Shepard though had reached the cover she had been going for, and after her shields had recharged she leaned out of her cover, opening up on the closest hostile. The geth's shield flickered and died under the barrage of her rifle, ending with a hole punctured straight through its glowing optic. She lashed out with an overload on one of the red armored trooper's, stripping both its shield, and cooking the ammo inside of the launcher it held, causing an explosion that took out both it and another unit standing next to it.

 

“ _Scoped and dropped!”_ Garrus crowed as another trooper up on the ridge came tumbling to the ground, another two soon followed as Ashley's weapon came back online. 

 

Ashley kicked the severed head of one geth across the battlefield once she and Garrus caught up to the Spectre, “Hard to believe these are the same things that were on Eden Prime.” Shepard glanced around, “The Eden Prime forces could have been more advanced, remember these were sent after Doctor T'Soni, not to attack a heavily defended Alliance garrison.” 

 

Garrus nudged one of them with his rifle, “We should probably get some specialized ammo blocks for them, if the Geth are even halfway intelligent they will start to upgrade these bodies of theirs.”

 

Shepard grunted in agreement, just as the roar of a drop ship sounded overhead, an armature slamming to the ground with an earthshaking impact, dust whipping up as it deployed to a combat stance.

 

Shepard's two arms glowed as she engaged both overload programs, causing the four legged creature's shield to flicker, but not fall, and she was quickly forced into cover as accelerator rounds began to impact the ground around her. Ashley's cannon flared to life as she just fired as many round as she could into the walker, but a sudden impact sent her reeling sideways as a powerful round was deflected off of her reinforced armor plates.

 

Shepard shouted to her squadmates, “Sniper! Garrus find it and take it out, we'll handle the walker.”

 

Shepard grabbed one of the charges from her belt hurling it towards the walker, the charge directing its potential directly into the quadrupedal tank's shield which shattered under the pressure. Ashley hurled her weapon to the ground as it beeped angrily from too much built up heat, grabbing the launcher from her back as the attempted to damage the now glowing head of the unit.

 

A flare lit up the area as the armature fired at Shepard, who having no place to run found herself running towards the projectile, throwing herself underneath it at the last second in a foolish attempt made by someone with no better options. The charge passed over her and she just found herself lying there for a few moments in shock that she was still alive, but it soon dawned on her that she had left herself in the precarious position of being entirely too close for comfort to the walker, which now trained its cannon on to her.

 

Though before it could open fire a retort filled the air, and the walker's secondary weapon sagged as Garrus' shot passed through the cables that connected it to the rest of the synthetic. Of course the Geth machine wasn't idle, and it raised its foreleg to bring down on top of the Spectre.

 

Evalyn rolled out of the way, hastily bringing herself to her feet and lashing out at the Geth's joints with her omni-sword, the flash manufactured blade carving though the substantially weaker plating of the inner leg.

 

The walker gave a squeal of confusion as it suddenly found itself unable to utilize its leg, which was soon followed by a stuttered cry as Shepard detonated the charge that she had just affixed to the walker's torso. Smoke began to plume as the geth's optics dimmed, though the walker remained upright, the actuators still fixed in place keeping it standing vigil over the mine entrance.

 

“ _Shepard, you probably want to see this.”_ Shepard jogged over to where Garrus was standing, next to him was, well it honestly looked like a Geth stripped of its plating. As she bent down to examine it she queried out loud, “This was our sniper?” 

 

She could hear Garrus shift a little before he answered, “Ya, it kept hopping from vantage to vantage, aside for the head the whole body must be made of some type of synthetic muscle. Didn't take much to drop it, but it must be some kind of scout because it kept jumping the moment I got a bead on it. Ended up having to shoot it in mid jump, only time it couldn't change position.”

 

Shepard's omni flashed as she scanned the creature, while she would love to bring it back with her to let Tali take a look at it, now wasn't the time. “Okay, the Geth are trying to protect this entrance, so I have to assume Liara has to be inside.”

 

Ashley was the first inside, quickly spotting two Asari corpses just shy of the entrance, both of whom Shepard confirmed were not Liara so it appeared likely that they had been her guards given that their injuries were consistent with Geth weaponry.

 

Shepard shook her head as she deployed her drones to scout ahead, her eyes filled with worry as she tracked her drones progress as they moved deeper into the mine, “What the hell happened here Liara.”

 

S&S

 

_Liara T'Soni was not having a good day, so far they had found nothing of real note further inside the complex, though she had found what she believed were the barrier controls, or at least controls of some sort. In any case she had appropriated a mining laser in case the barrier emitters activated while she was inside the complex, confident that it would be enough to blow an emergency exit for her to escape out of. It amused her how a little hint about exposing the human corporation's little indiscretions on Therum had them bending over backward to appease her while she was planetside._

 

_But that truthfully wasn't the main reason for her current mood, no the current source of her frustrations was the headline on every single news organization in the galaxy._

 

_'Spectre Mirax Varan revealed to be Evalyn Shepard.'_

 

_Not only had Evalyn apparently returned to active duty, but she had managed to be outed to the entire galaxy, which apparently didn't come up on the list of things you should call the person you are dating about!_

 

_That was if they were still dating. Liara had left Evalyn months ago, telling the Spectre that when she was ready she would have to come to Liara, because Goddess knows Liara was tired of being the one always trying to bridge the gap between them._

 

_She knew that there was some reason behind the humans absolute distaste to the idea of melding with her, but Liara had attempted to explain over, and over, and over again that she was incapable of not wanting to initiate a meld with the human. It had led to some, tense nights, and that was before that blasted V.I of Evalyn's had gotten itself destroyed._

 

_Liara didn't understand her human's fascination with artificial life, Liara, like her whole race was notably opposed to it, but she accepted that part of Evalyn just like Evalyn accepted Liara's less desirable traits._

 

_But following Tess's destruction Evalyn had become even more introverted, and while she never lashed out physically, or even verbally, her constant indifference towards the Asari and her efforts to help had eventually been too much._

 

_Which was why Liara found herself on this planet, having to continue her Archaeological work in order to hide her new profession._

 

_She had originally simply began sifting for more information on what her Mother was up to, but as she dug up intelligence that was useful, but not to her own hunt she found that there existed a rather lucrative market for someone with her skills._

 

_Overtime she had taken the logical step from simply selling the information she uncovered, to acting upon it. And so she had a small, but rather skilled cadre of commando's at her disposal, two of whom were with her right now._

 

_Liara frowned as her omni pinged, “Mistress, we have movement at the entrance, going to investigate.” Liara was confident that it was probably just some miners hoping that all Asari conformed to the galactic stereotype, something that she was certain her guards disprove quite quickly._

 

_But as Liara began to leave the base camp weapon fire echoed from above, “Hostiles!”_

 

“ _Goddess! Are those Geth!” Liara hastily began to shout into her omni, “Aeiyla? Jes? Report, what in the Goddess' name is going on up there.”_

 

_As an eerie silence descended upon the chamber a thud from above her caused her to glance up towards the entrance, the hulking form of a Krogan silhouetted against the light of the mine entrance. “Guess second time's a charm when it comes to catching Asari.”_

 

_No, no it couldn't be. Evalyn had literally butchered the Krogan who had came for her last time, Liara had watched, she had if she was being honest been fascinated, and perhaps a little bit pleased with the human's rage on her behalf. But even if this was the same Krogan, Liara had no intention of being as easy prey as last time._

 

_With a surge of biotics she lowered her mass, enabling her to leap up to the level where she knew the barrier controls were, and as she dashed inside the chamber a smirk played across her lips as she activated the ancient defenses. Of course that smirk was soon replaced by confusion, and a sudden yelp as a secondary set of emitters she had missed also activated, dragging her up into some type of security field, leaving her limbs stretched wide as she was forced to stare out through the barrier, and out at her camp._

 

_The thud of approaching footsteps caused her to crane her neck to see the approaching Krogan, his face a bizarre tapestry of healed flesh and cybernetics, as his survival from Evalyn's attack had obviously come at great cost._

 

_The Krogan grunted as his shots on the barrier did nothing, before he let out an angry growl, knocking a Geth that was trailing behind him down to lower levels of her campsite. “Find someway around this barrier.”_

 

_The large armored face shifted to glance at the maiden, a smirk on his reptilian features, “You've just delayed the inevitable T'Soni, don't worry though I'll get through eventually.” As he walked away a chuckle came from his form, “Not like anyone else is going to come looking for you, last I heard that Spectre buddy of yours has more important things than to babysit you this time.”_

 

S&S

 

The sole Geth that had moved to investigate the sudden disappearance of his fellows from the network cautiously moved up the grated walkway, only to be unceremoniously tossed off the nearby railed as Shepard continued past not even breaking stride.

 

She directed the drones to move farther up the structure, while she and her sward followed catwalk until they came to an elevator, though after a single examination of the structure had her looking around for a ladder, “Seriously does no one in the galaxy understand fire safety?”

 

Ashley chuckled a little at that, but soon the trio found themselves in the elevator, which of course died rather violently as it tried to transport the three of them down to the lower level. Both the Spectre, and the Detective had glared at the Chief, who defensively crossed her arms across her armored chest, “What? You think I broke it?”

 

Garrus glanced away, a grin crossing his features, while Shepard simply nodded, “Ashley with that armor you probably weigh the same as the two of us put together, and that isn't even getting into that ludicrously oversized gun you are using.”

 

Ashley scoffed, “Says the woman whose pistol explodes every time she uses it?”

 

While the two of them continued to bicker the Turian had pried open the front of the cage, and with a grunt he dropped the remaining distance to the lower level, “You two coming? Or do you just want me to go ahead and deal with this, I mean best Turian for the job and all that.”

 

Ashley hopped down next, muttering, “It's best man for the job, bird brain.” Which caused Shepard to laugh, “He's technically right either way here, Chief.” Any banter though was forgotten as they noticed the shimmer of a barrier field, and Shepard advanced cautiously trying to see if there was anyone inside.

 

Garrus though ended up knocking over a haphazardly stacked pile of crates, and the resulting clatter caused a groggy but familiar voice to come from the field's direction, “Hello? Is anyone out there?”

 

Shepard took off at a jog, “Liara!” Sliding to a stop in front of the field, but the Asari only seemed confused as she took in the armored form in front of her. “Evalyn? Goddess I didn't think I was this far gone.”

 

Shepard frowned, “Liara, it's me. Look, just tell me how to get you out of there.” At that the Asari burst into a throaty laugh, “Well if you look to my left you will see the controls, I think you can figure out the problem from there.”

 

Evalyn groaned, causing Garrus to tilt his head at her reaction causing Shepard to explain her outburst, “Prothean barriers are extremely hard to bypass, we would need something that could disrupt the whole power grid, or that could break through a section of the structure that isn't protected by a barrier.”

 

“Like a mining laser?” Shepard turned to find Ashley's outstretched arm pointing at a very conveniently placed apparatus, “Yes, Ash. Like a mining laser.” The Spectre shifted her gaze to the Turian, “Garrus stay up here on overwatch until I call for you.” The Detective simply nodded, shifting over to settle his rifle on top of a nearby set of crates.

 

Liara for her part had just starred at the whole exchange, debating over if this was actually Evalyn, a hallucination, or an extremely sophisticated ruse.

 

As the pair began to advance further in a white armored Geth suddenly spun from behind a large container, only to fall to the ground as sparks shot out from where its head formerly had been located.

 

“ _Got one!”_ Shepard just shook her head as she readied her rifle, the Turian liked to show off too much for her liking, but he was effective. Only a handful of Geth actually occupied Liara's former camp, and as the last one's optic flickered and died Shepard pulled her blade out of its chest. 

 

Shepard pulled back the flap of Liara's tent, having been easily able to spot it based on the fact it was nearly twice as large as the other two, an angry growl escaping her throat as she pulled out a small device she had given to the Asari quite some time ago.

 

Ashley glanced at her, “What's that?”

 

A sigh came out from the Spectre, “It's a QEC beacon, you hit it and it transmits the location to the paired device, regardless of distance.” She held up her synthetic limb, “The other half is built into my arm, I wanted to make sure Liara could contact me for help whenever she needed it.”

 

She knew that Ashley had already guessed as to the state of her relationship with the Doctor, but thankfully the marine decided that now was not the time to push the issue. “Come on, let's see to that laser.”

 

The encryption on the device was so simple that it was almost insulting, but she made sure to wave Garrus down first, not knowing the damage this would do to the structure. As soon as he joined them at a safe distance Shepard activated it, and a crimson beam momentarily lit up the room before it was dimmed by the resulting dust cloud.

 

“Okay guys, on me.” She led her small squad, letting her eye's alternative spectra guide her through the haze, while both Garrus and Ashley followed her marker on their HUDS. They ended up entering a type of elevator shaft, that as she craned her neck up appeared to go all the way to the top of the complex.

 

She signaled for her drones to return to her while she glanced at the controls in front of her, glad that the Prothean's used the same elevator controls here as they had on Mars, and with a single push had them ascend up a single floor to where Liara was held.

 

“Goddess, did you actually get past the barrier? I assume you had to use the mining laser, though it would have been preferable had you figured out some other way.” Shepard just ignored Liara's grumblings as she pulled off the panel that protected the inner workings of the security console, slapping away Ashley's hand as the brunette made to hit a button, “You want to trap us in that field too?”

 

Not waiting for an answer Shepard leaned her head to glance up, and let out a small 'ha' of victory as she pulled out a component she knew was necessary to run the security fields, all the more thankful for her time spent studying the Mars archives.

 

Liara thudded to the ground, but quickly dusted herself off after she pulled herself to her feet.

 

But before Shepard had risen from her crouched position she saw a flare of blue energy and two distinct thumps from the elevator shaft, before the distinct click of a pistol hit against her helmet. “Now, Spectre. If you really are one, would you care to take your helmet off.”

 

Shepard sighed, Liara's paranoia made Evalyn look like a well adjusted individual, which she wasn't. But she complied, and slowly pulled off her helmet, shaking her head a little which of course caused some of her hair to fall loose from the sloppy bun she had pulled it into, before looking back at the Asari with a smirk, “Satisfied, Li?”

 

Liara simply surged forward and caught her lips with her own, and Evalyn may have responded a bit too enthusiastically for someone who had just had a gun to her head, but the Asari soon ended it, a smile playing on her lips, “I suppose I am, and I told you not to call me that.”

 

Shepard was dimly aware that her squardmates were starring slack-jawed at the somewhat unorthodox greeting Liara had given them, but she honestly didn't give a shit so she continued teasing Liara, “I also think we had a rule not to lose the QEC transmitter, yet here we are.” Liara's reaction was a mix of an angry pout, and an embarrassed blush, “I forgot it.”

 

Which just caused a sigh to erupt from the Spectre, “You forgot, the single most expensive piece of equipment I have ever designed, which includes numerous V.I's, and my arm?” Any further remarks were quickly silenced as everyone in the chamber was thrown off balance as the ground around them began to shake, Shepard's helmet tumbled from her grip and rolled off the edge to fall into the chasm below, as Liara's wide blue eyes came to rest on Shepard, “What did you do!”

 

Evalyn just gestured angrily, “Me? It was your laser!” The pair had managed to stumble on to the lift, and Liara soon had them traveling upwards to the surface, “Joker! We need a pickup on top of my location ASAP, there should be another mine entrance somewhere near there, that is the pickup point.”

 

“Um, sure thing, Shepard. But, you know, for the record, that is kind of a soon to be volcano.”

 

As her drones' feeds were suddenly violently cut off as lava quickly filled the area they were in she shouted at her pilot, “We are very aware, Joker!” As the lift came to a stop Shepard kept the line open as she spotted a Krogan and several Geth, “Hold on, Joker, there's an asshole I have to kill, I expect you outside by the time I'm done with him.”

 

Shepard took a few steps forward, the Krogan doing likewise, light glinting off the numerous cybernetics in his skull, “I thought I killed you.”

 

The Krogan just laughed, “Saren would not risk a warrior of my caliber, and so he went to great expense to pull me back from the void.” Shepard was dimly aware of Garrus asking, “Does that mean Saren offers a really good, or a really bad benefits package?”

 

The Krogan of course remained unaware of the comment, shooting a gaze towards Liara that caused Evalyn's skin to crawl, “I will enjoy killing both you, and your little pet.”

 

It was at that point that Shepard decided to be proactive, lashing out an overload on one of the Geth in the back, which Garrus quickly followed up with a shot from his rifle.

 

Ashley for her part positioned herself solidly in front of Liara, the LAC in her hands quickly chewed through the shields of the charging Krogan, but being a Krogan a loss of shields simply made him angrier as the rounds began to find purchase in his flesh.

 

However, just before he reached the marine Liara stepped out from behind the Chief, thrusting forward a hand that unleashed what little reserves of biotic power she had left, which was more than enough to send the Krogan flying across the room.

 

Shepard's rifle strobed at a steady rhythm as her rounds punctured through the weak metal containers the Geth were using for cover, but she found herself knocked off balance as the Krogan suddenly revealed his biotic potential, causing the Spectre to be thrown off of her feet and into the nearby bulkhead, a cry of pain escaping her as the Krogan slammed his bulk into her torso.

 

The Krogan's powerful hands began to tighten around her throat, “I had planned on killing her first, but I think a change of plans are in order, we will not meet a third time, Spectre!” Shepard's body began to shake with crazed laughter, activating the program Tali had helped her make on the way to Therum, a crazed look on her face as she managed to choke out, “I was just going to say the same thing.”

 

And with that her entire being was engulfed with pain as lighting arced between the two of them, though her hunch proved to be correct as after several moments the Krogan's body tilted backwards to slam into the ground, smoke drifting from the now useless cybernetics that had kept his body functioning, without them it was just so much useless meat.

 

Shepard of course collapsed to the ground too, both her right arm as well as her left eye nonfunctional at the moment, and that was ignoring the fact she had nearly electrocuted herself. She groaned as she attempted to push herself up with her left arm, muttering under her breath, “Any hit you can walk away from, right Dad.”

 

“Shepard, come on we need to get out of here.” She was dimly aware of Ash pulling her up by her useless limb, as she dragged her towards the exit, “Come on, skipper! Move your ass.”

 

Shepard wasn't even aware of the encroaching danger behind them, she just knew that one second they were moving towards a white light, the next she found herself sprawled across the hanger deck with Ashley concerned face hovering in her vision.

 

“Shepard, are you all right?” The brunette turned to someone outside of her field of vision, “Her eye isn't moving, is that bad?”

 

Shepard coughed as she tried to talk, and it took a few more attempts for words came out, “I'm fine, my cybernetics just need to reboot, give them, and me just a few minutes okay. Then you can go all mother hen on me.” She ended that with a faint smile, before she turned her head towards Liara who was sitting on the ground nearby, “Hey.”

 

Blue lips quirked slightly, “I'm still mad at you.” Which simply caused a small laugh from the blonde, “Ya, I'm mad at me too. Is there any chance that forgiveness may be in the future?”

 

Liara's eyes held too many emotions for Shepard to hazard a guess at her chances, “I think your chances may be better once I've actually slept.”

 

“You can have my bed.” She waved her still operational arm at Kaidan who quickly crossed the hold to reach her, “Kaidan, please take Doctor T'Soni up to my quarters. She has had quite a day, and understandably needs some rest.”

 

Kaidan looked like he was about to protest for a second, before simply nodding, “Aye, Ma'am.”

 

S&S

 

As some semblance of peace began to fall upon the cargo hold following the departure of both the good Doctor, and the Spectre operative the rest of the ground team came together and did the one thing that came natural to every species, gossip.

 

Ashley glanced at Garrus, “I didn't hallucinate the two of them kissing right?” Garrus shook his head, “No, though I did think at the time I had just hit my head really hard.”

 

Tali though having not been there was confused, “Wait, who kissed who?”

 

The brunette turned her head towards the diminutive woman, “The Skipper, and the Doctor. One second the Doctor had a gun to Shepard's head, the next it looked like she was trying to shove her tongue down her throat.”

 

Garrus coughed awkwardly, muttering something about, “I didn't see any tongue.”

 

Tali though just called across the bay to Wrex, “Wrex, did you know about this?”

 

A low grumble emerged from the Krogan, before one of his eyes cracked open to regard them, “No, only person other than Jack that I've worked with Shepard with was some bitch called Solheim, and Nihlus I suppose.” The Krogan pushed himself up into a standing position, “I wouldn't make this information too widely known, discounting Shepard in this instance the T'Soni clan is rather influential in Asari space, it would be stupid to make an enemy of the current heir of the main line.”

 

The thud of the lift drew their attention, and they noticed both Kaidan and Jack entering the bay, though Ashley noticed that Jack was back in the suit of light armor she had been wearing at the hanger. Ashley let out a small huff as she waved them over, wanting to see if she could get some more information out of Shepard's only known associate on the ship. Jack wryly glanced at the loose circle that had formed, “So, are we going to sing campfire songs or something?”

 

Kaidan chuckled a little at that, but Ashley ignored it instead she fixed her gaze on the tattooed woman, “Jack, did you know about Liara and the Commander?” Jack's confusion though at the statement quickly disproved that statement, before the small biotic let out a whistle, “Damn, Shepard. Girl has good taste you have to give her that.”

 

Garrus' eyes flashed as he remembered something, quickly turning to Tali, “Tali, when we were heading to the mine we came across some new type of Geth, I was wondering if you could tell me anything more about it.”

 

His omni glowed as the image of the 'hopper', as he had dubbed it, floated above. Tali's eyes grew in her helmet as she muttered softly into her helmet, finally after a few minutes of that she glanced upwards at the Turian, “Did you take any readings, anything more than this image?” Garrus shook his head, “I didn't, but Shepard did, I'm sure she'll get them to you when she had the chance.”

 

The Quarian nodded a few times, “That, that's good,” she jabbed a finger at the synthetic creature's picture, “This doesn't match up to anything I've ever seen before, the Geth have always been content to mimic our forms when it comes to mobile platforms, but this is a strict example of form over function.”

 

Ashley shifted her weight as her arms crisscrossed her chest, “So? Is it that weird for machines to decide to be better machines?”

 

Tali sighed, “But the Geth aren't just like a standard A.I, or a V.I that becomes smart enough to go rogue. They are a, collection, of all the numerous small programs that we linked together, most of them weren't even military in function, there were numerous programs dedicated to our culture, architecture, and so on. We think that is why they make their new combat forms still so much like our own bodies, because that, shadow of Quarian culture is an intrinsic part of the Geth network.”

 

She let out a shaky breath, “That, thing. It means that something has drastically changed inside the Geth, and I don't even want to think about what Saren did to accomplish it.”

 

Jack glanced at Tali, “Then what about those walker things? They don't seem very Quarian.” Tali shook her head, “Those are just the evolution of older Geth designs that we made, the Geth have just re-purposed them into a combination tank, siege weapon, and mobile command link.”

 

Kaidan frowned at the last comment, “Command link? The Geth use those things to keep hooked up to their network?”

 

Tali once again shook her head, “No, they just can hold more programs than your standard platform, so their very presence gives them a noticeable boost in performance. Rule number one when fighting the Geth, take out the biggest ones first.”

 

The Lieutenant nodded at the information, before he gestured for Jack to come with him, “Shepard wants me to run you through some basic drills.” He paused, “Anyone else want to join, might make us better as a unit if we all understand the same signals.”

 

Tali quickly joined of course, ever eager to prove her worth, though both Garrus and Ashley declined, the pair wanting nothing more than to get in some much needed sleep.

 

Jack shot a smirk over at Wrex, “Come on, Red. You know you want to.”

 

Wrex just settled back down and closed his eyes, “Just try to keep it quiet, Pyjak.”

 

S&S

 

Shepard's hands hovered over the console in front of her, Liara was passed out on the bed, a small IV hooked into her arm to replenish her fluids courtesy of Chakwas, and honestly she wouldn't have been worried about her hearing the conversation she was contemplating anyway.

 

“Get it together, Eva. It's just your Mother, the woman who raised you while at the same time leading a double life with a terrorist organization, no fucking big deal.” A growl escaped her throat as she slammed her finger into the haptic interface, while she subconsciously began to hold her breath as she waited for an answer from the other side of call.

 

It took only a few moments before her Mother flickered into view, Eva favored her Mother extremely when it came to looks, though she had inherited Dad's eyes. Hannah's eyes widened as she saw the person on the other end of the call, “Eva? Is everything all right?” The concern in her voice sounded genuine, and deep down Eva did realize she was being unfair by being this cynical to the woman.

 

“As much as they can be when I'm tracking down the Spectre who killed Dad.” Hannah had dropped that little bomb on her a few years ago, but it had honestly just pissed her Daughter off more that yet another secret had been kept from her.

 

A small smile threatened to form on Hannah's lips, but it soon faded back into the frown that always marred her face, “How are you holding up? I know you were close with Nihlus.” Eva blew out a sigh, “Doing better than I thought I would be, I think it was because I was always prepared for every mission to be his last. I wasn't able to speak to Tela before she sequestered herself for grieving, I, I hope she doesn't hate me.”

 

Hannah's eyes shined with sympathy, “I'm sure she doesn't hate you, I mean she may be angry at you for some time but you didn't do anything wrong. I don't want to speak ill of the dead but Nihlus shouldn't have pushed so far ahead without backup.”

 

Eva gave a sad laugh, “He liked to follow his instincts, I always tried to remind him that those instincts always got him into trouble.” The blonde actually began to half laugh, half sob, “There was one time, he ended up pissing off this Justicar, he was running from her for weeks before the Council thought to send me to check it out.”

 

“He was stuck up a tree when I found him, a gigantic redwood like thing, he had pulled some Maiden up there with him, and this Justicar is prowling around the trunk like a cat trying to figure out how to get at a bird. So there I am in the Shanxi, the Justicar is fully prepared to rip my shit out of the sky, and Nihlus starts baiting her. And she gets mad, wrath of the Goddess angry, the ground is ripping around her, and here Nihlus is, in a tree shouting down insults at her.”

 

She closed her eyes remembering the scene, “And then he tosses the girl, just lets her go, I of course knew he was going to do it because well it would be a bad rescue if I didn't know the signal to come in. So here is this Justicar, who is at her most likely to break her code because Nihlus needed to rub in how good he is, and what does she do?'

 

Hannah gave a small smile, “She saves the girl.” Evalyn nodded, “Yep, but that was just the kind of person he was. He needed his opponent to know that he had not only won, but he had beat them. But he was still a good friend.”

 

The younger Shepard let out a shaky breath, ignoring the tears that were running down her face, “And now I'm back in the fucking Alliance, with a crew that I'm already getting attached too.” She fixed an intense gaze at the woman in the screen, “And if they don't make it, I, I don't think I'll be able to keep going, I can't be the survivor again, I just can't.”

 

Hannah put her hand up to the screen trying to offer what little comfort she could, “I, I understand Eva. But that is on you, you need to be the leader I know you can be, the same type of leader that your Father was. These soldiers under you command, you need to mold them, forge them, make them unbreakable, make them yours. You are a brilliant woman, use that to your advantage. Saren may be cunning but he's just a thug at heart, always has been.”

 

A shift on the bed alerted her that Liara was probably waking up, “Mom, I have to go, I'll, I'll call again soon, I promise.” Hannah nodded sadly, “I love you, Dear.”

 

Eva hesitated, before whispering, “Love you too.”

 

As the call ended Eva jumped as she felt a hand brush away the tear lines on her cheeks, “I'm glad you two are talking again, she cares about you a great deal.” Liara had managed to softly pad her way up to the Spectre, embracing the human from behind.

 

“I know she does, but, well you more than most know what type of baggage can exist between a Mother and Daughter.” Liara gave a small laugh as she rested her head on top of Evalyn's, “At least yours did not try to kidnap you.”

 

“She did get me tossed out of the Alliance, not comparing the two, just pointing out.”

 

She could feel Liara nod, before the Asari sighed, “Are we going to keep making small talk, or are we going to bring up what happened months ago?”

 

Evalyn shifted, slowly standing up so that she could face Liara, “I, I'm sorry that I shut down like that, I know that you were just trying to help but you, you need to understand that I have baggage when it comes to your species.”

 

Liara frowned, but she gestured for Shepard to continue. Evalyn though just sighed, running her hands through her hair as she made her way to sit on the edge of the bed, “When I was still at the Academy, I began a relationship with an Asari, Elthys Atesi, though she was just Atesi to me.” Liara's frown deepened at the faint fondness she could hear, “Atesi was, well she turned out to be an agent from some organization in the Republics, and she had a mission that she was sent to accomplish.”

 

Liara glanced away, already piecing together what had happened, “She was the one who set the bomb off at the graduation ceremony, I, I was the target. The only reason I survive was because my eye detected the bomb, I was able to throw up a barrier before it was too late.” The blonde's gaze fell to the floor, “Most of the others weren't so lucky.”

 

Liara nodded a few times, “That wasn't it though, was it?” The blonde gave a harsh laugh, “No, no it wasn't. I recovered quickly enough to chase after her, apparently I didn't even realize I was bleeding rather profusely, the med teams found me by simply following the blood trail.” Evalyn was quiet for a few moments, “She called me a monster, something that was going to destroy everything I loved.”

 

A sigh escaped from Liara, “You let her go, didn't you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Liara finally turned to look at the blonde, she looked so much smaller than her usual larger than life stature, “Why?”

 

Evalyn ignored the obvious pain lancing through the Asari's voice, instead she answered truthfully, “Because I loved her, even after everything we had been together, we had melded, that was, that is, why I have so much trouble letting you in.”

 

Liara looked away, tears running down her face, she had always known this was coming, the day when Shepard just ended their, whatever this was to the human. She was so consumed in her own thoughts that she nearly missed Shepard's whispered confession, “But I want to try.”

 

Liara nearly tumbled to the floor from how quickly she turned towards the human, “What?!”

 

Evalyn slowly rose to her feet, closing the distance between them, “I said, I want to try. But there is something else you should know.”

 

Blue eyes narrowed, “What?”

 

“I got hit by a Prothean beacon, so there is all this junk in my brain that I can't understand. If you could try and take a look at it while your in there I'd appreciate it.”

 

Liara tackled the human on to the bed, growling, “Let me in your head right now, Woman!”

 

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit Song: Because the Night; cover by the Protomen
> 
> So, starting to wonder how many chapters of napping Wrex I can write, because well everyone else on the ship does something when not on mission, but well what exactly does Wrex do aside for lean on that bulkhead? 
> 
> For those wondering Ash's weapon is essentially a modern day light machine gun but you know, Mass Effect-y. I never really liked the Revenant because while it has the characteristics of one, its shape doesn't give any real ability to mute the recoil so why bother with it, aside for the very video game answer of it does the most damage.
> 
> I had been thinking of having Miri be the one that Eva contacted, but well Hannah deserves some time with her Daughter too.


	9. Therapy, Krogan Style

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delayed chapter, and for any glaring errors. I was swamped by work and then when I finally got some time off I found myself sick, so I wrote a bunch of this while still dizzy from the cold meds in my system. 
> 
> Regardless, here it is. 
> 
> Songs as usual can be found at my youtube channel, I might go back and retroactively assign credit songs to the older chapters later, not that I expect people to actually hunt this stuff down, I do it for me.
> 
> Also still in the market for a Beta, just you know, putting that out there.

S&S

 

_She could feel the impact through her feet before she heard the screech that heralded the arrival of another of those creatures. Her soldiers were attempting to make a fortified ring with what few vehicles they had but they had come down here to investigate a colony that had gone dark, not to fight the demons of the fucking underworld._

 

_She cursed as she threw herself out of the way of one of those acidic projectiles that the beasts employed, the ground behind her bubbling and smoking as the green goo did its work on an unintended target._

 

_She lashed out angrily with an incinerate program that fizzled haplessly against the beast's thick hide. Cursing to herself she took off at a run, shouting to a handful of her soldiers who were attempting to hold their ground, “Get back to the vehicles, tell them to drive as far as you can, I'll contact the Warsaw for help.”_

 

_They obeyed without question, she was a Shepard after all, this was what they did._

 

_She rallied what soldiers she could as she made her way to the wrecked husk of the shuttle, managing to pry open an access panel with her biotics once she arrived at it. It was difficult to fit her armored form in the access tube, but it wasn't impossible, and so she managed to make good time to the actual interior of the ship._

 

_She quickly found the communications console thankfully undamaged, “SSV Warsaw, come in. This is Lieutenant-Commander Shepard, we have unknown hostiles down here, and the shuttle is a no-go for extraction. We need exfil immediately, the rest of my unit is moving out in what vehicles we have away from the drop site.” She paused a few moments, concern covering her features, “SSV Warsaw, do you read?”_

 

_A sudden shriek of metal overhead cut her off, as one of the beasts actually began to pry open the top of the shuttle like a tin can._

 

_She fired off several pointless shots before an idea came to her, causing her to rush towards the rear of the shuttle in order to reach the mass effect core. Hurriedly she began to override the core's safeties, spooling it up to operate well beyond the limits it had been designed for._

 

_And with that done she took off, her booted footsteps ringing in her ears as her mind kept a mental clock of how long a core of that size would take to overload, her escape however was interrupted as the ground ripped open in front of her, a scream unsolicited emerged from her lips as the beasts maw closed down on her body._

 

_And then the core went off._

 

Shepard awoke still screaming, her eyes were clenched tightly shut as if to block out the images that had just flickered through her mind.

 

Eventually she came to realize that someone was soothingly stroking her hair, and as she slowly raised the eyelid that covered her artificial eye the crimson orb took in the sight of Liara's concerned expression as she toyed with the blonde's locks in an effort to soothe her partner.

 

She gently cleared her throat, causing Liara to glance up and realize that her companion was now more in control of herself, blue lips settling into a soft, but still concerned smile, “Hello.” But there was an unspoken question there, how long had the nightmares been plaguing her again? Liara had become rather familiar with the human's inability to sleep in the beginning months of their relationship, but they had lessened over their time together.

 

“Hi.” The blonde waited for a few moments before she sighed, “I really don't want to talk business in bed, but did you get anything out of my head about the beacon?” And she could only hope that Liara wouldn't push right now.

 

Liara was thoughtful for a few moments probably processing both the asked question, and the unasked request, before she nodded tentatively still playing with the human's hair as she spoke, “I was able to ascertain that the transfer process itself wasn't interrupted when the beacon went critical, the message that you were given was incomplete in the first place. I have to assume that while the beacon was functional, it wasn't as undamaged as the Alliance believed.”

 

Eva gave a small nod, “So you don't believe that Saren has a complete copy of this message either?”

 

“No, but I think we both know that finding another one will be a top priority of his. This does explain the disappearance of so many Prothean experts recently.”

 

Evalyn let out a groan as she pulled herself to a sitting position, “Ya, he's nothing if not thorough.” She turned back to look at the Asari, her hair spilled around her face hiding her natural eye from view, “Okay so we know that Saren doesn't have the complete message, same as us. Did you pick up anything else that may be useful.”

 

A shy, but smug smile crept across the Asari's features, “Well I don't know how useful it is in the short term, but my theory on galactic extinction seems to have been proven correct.”

 

Eva's laugh filled the room, “I don't think the Archaeological community will accept information ripped out of a Spectre's head as a credible source.”

 

A small pout settled on Liara's lips, “No, I suppose they won't.”

 

Evalyn took in the time on her HUD, letting out a sigh as she realized they had been in here for four hours, “Li, I need to go and debrief the Council, and the Admiralty, and now that I think of it the rest of the crew too.” The blonde let out a huff of annoyance, “I miss the days when all I had to do was file a report to the Council and come home.”

 

Liara nodded before reaching out to place an arm on the Spectre, “Are you worried that they won't trust you because of my presence?”

 

Shepard barked out a harsh laugh, “I don't give a damn what anyone on this boat thinks of my personal life. I'm a Spectre, I trust you, that better be good enough for them.”

 

“And if it isn't?”

 

“Lifepods have emergency pickup beacons for a reason.” Liara gaped for a few moment before swatting Shepard, “Evalyn, that isn't something to joke about.”

 

The blonde got up off the bed with a smile, though Liara swore she heard her mutter, “Who said anything about joking.” But a frown crossed Liara's face as she thought of something, “What if the Council demands that you arrest me, bring me back to the Citadel as an accomplice of my Mother's?”

 

Shepard responded as she pulled on an outfit that was visually identical to the one she had worn yesterday, “Well if the fact that Saren's forces were trying to kill you isn't proof that you aren't working with her, I can always just tell them that I need your expertise to handle anything about the Prothean's that come up, and given that you are the only scholar who has ever followed the evidence that the Reapers might exist you are an indispensable font of knowledge.”

 

A smirk crossed the Spectre's lips, “Plus you are pretty good in bed too.” An audible gasp escaped her as a biotically charged pillow caught her in the stomach, winding the unprepared human.

 

Liara just smiled sweetly at her, “I would leave that last part out.”

 

Eva laughed weakly at that as she was still regaining her breath, “It was a joke Liara.”

 

Liara just gave her an almost predatory smile, “Evalyn, I think we have been over this, you're jokes are terrible.”

 

The blonde gave her a weak smile, “But you still love me despite such shortcomings.” The joking tone in her voice died as her eyes has landed squarely on her synthetic limb, causing the undressed Asari to let out a small sigh as she crossed the room, taking hold of the Spectre's unnatural hand in one of her own.

 

“You know that this doesn't bother me, so why do you let it constantly trouble your thoughts?”

 

Eva was silent for quite some time, “Because, it bothers me.”

 

She disentangled herself from the Asari taking a few steps back as she fixated her gaze on the desk in the corner, “My Dad was a believer, so was Granddad but to a lesser extant, healthy dose of realism he used to call it. Dad though, he always, always believed that the soul, spirit, whatever you want to call it that makes us more than just a bunch of walking organs was intrinsically tied to our physical selves. It was why he never approved of my interest in cybernetics, felt that it was a slippery slope to the loss of humanities 'soul.'”

 

Liara went to speak but the Commander has turned her head to regard her companion, “I honestly think he was right.”

 

And before Liara could respond the blonde had hurried her way out of the room.

 

S&S

 

The moment Shepard stepped outside of her quarters a hurried screech indicated that someone had been waiting for her at the nearby mess table, and judging by the gait it could be either Ashley or Mills, and she was rather doubtful that the Corporal would be approaching her quite so brazenly.

 

And so without even glancing at her, Evalyn voiced her query to the air in front of her her voice still terse from the conversation she had just fled moments before, “Something I can help you with, Chief?”

 

The sudden falter in the approaching steps did not necessarily mean that she was right in her guess, but Ashley's voice moments later confirmed it for her, “Ma'am, and let me know if I'm overstepping here, but, what the fuck is going on?!”

 

The brunette shifted uncomfortably as the only part of the Spectre that moved was her crimson orb, which burrowed through the marine, making her feel like she was being dissected. Evalyn's voice was calm, unhurried, but there was a tension there that was unmistakable, “Chief, what is my rank?”

 

Ashley blinked a few times before quickly responding, “Commander, Ma'am.” The blonde's head nodded a few times, “And what other position of authority do I occupy.”

 

“You're a Spectre, Ma'am.”

 

The blonde's head turned to fully regard the marine, “So, why don't you tell me why it is that one of my soldiers, albeit a woman I do have some history with, seems to think that I owe them an explanation as to my decisions?” When Ashley didn't respond the blonde's eyes narrowed further, “Ash I respect you as a soldier, and I might consider you one of my very, very, few friends, but that does not entitle you to my decision making process.”

 

She turned away, “This is my hunt, my decisions, if you can't live with that then you can get off whenever we dock at a place with an Alliance presence, I'll make sure that you receive a posting you deserve so don't worry about that.”

 

Ashley was quiet for a several moments, and when she made no move to speak further Shepard just gave a snort of exasperation and took off towards the stairs.

 

The brunette was still immobile when a voice disturbed her thoughts, “She has trouble being friends with humans, always has.”

 

Ashley spun quickly to see the form of hurriedly dressed Liara T'Soni leaning against the doorway of the cabin, clad in a borrowed hoodie and sweatpants, the Asari though continued to speak, “She worries that if she gets attached again that she will find herself alone and broken once more at the end of all of this. That is one of the things I find most attractive about her, that almost unnatural protective streak of hers.” The maiden just gave a small shake of her head.

 

Ashley though finally found her voice, “Just what are you to her?”

 

“Honestly, some days I don't know myself.” Blue lips quirked in a sad smile, “If you are asking if we have slept together, then yes. But other than that, even I don't know what it in that woman's mind.” Liara's lips twisted into a wry smile at that, as she realized that even though they had melded she still understood so little about the human.

 

Ashley seemed rather uncomfortable at the thought of the Commander and the Doctor together, but once again the Asari's voice caught her off guard, “I am sorry for attacking you earlier, I have unfortunately become rather paranoid in my line of work.”

 

The marine shot her a confused look, “Archaeology really that dangerous.”

 

The alien just shot her a smirk as she turned to reenter the Spectre' quarters, “What is the human saying, I didn't quit my day job?”

 

As the door shut Ashley wasn't sure what event of the past few minutes confused her more.

 

S&S

 

Shepard slipped in behind the pilot's seat silent as a ghost, deciding that harassing the pilot was always a good way to improve her mood, and boy did her mood need improving, “Good work today, Joker.”

 

The pilot once again jerked in his seat, “Son of a bitch! How many times are you going to do this?!”

 

The blonde just gave a dry chuckle at that, “Until you install that mirror I suppose.”

 

The pilot seemed to be measuring up where best to put such a device before the Spectre sighed, “That was a joke, Joker. No redecorating the bridge.”

 

Joker comically scowled, “And I was going to put a bobblehead up here too.” He busied himself for several moments before he glanced back at her, “Anything you needed, Commander. Aside for try to give me a heart attack that is.”

 

She laughed a little as she settled herself down into the co-pilot seat, “I wanted to hear the pilot's impression on the Normandy, we're going to try and get her retrofitted to spec as soon as possible so I figured I should ask the maestro what he thought.”

 

Joker actually grinned at the compliment, “Well, she's a bit too much ship for your average pilot to handle. I mean I had to steal her so that they would let me pilot her.” The comment caused a blonde eyebrow to raise but Joker waved it off, “Long story.”

 

He was quiet for a few moments, “You'll need to make sure that the new plating isn't too heavy, the Normandy already has a lot of her mass back there, put in too much more and the engine might sheer herself off when I'm pulling the really impressive maneuvers. Aside for that we can always use more torpedoes.”

 

Shepard gave a light nod of agreement, “Too bad they didn't include a fighter mount in the bay as well, always nice to have some backup in the void.”

 

Joker shrugged, “Ya, but who would fly the thing? I mean I'm good, but not be in two places at once good.”

 

Eva shook her head, “I could fly the fighter, Mom made sure that I was capable of at least piloting or driving every Alliance vehicle by the time I was fourteen,” there was a small pause before she let out a sardonic chuckle, “Goddess I was a weird kid.”

 

Joker's expression just screamed, 'Was?' But he wisely didn't voice the comment, instead he just nodded, “Ever flown anything larger than a fighter?”

 

“I own a small Asari strike craft, decent enough room for five people on a short trip, or two people on a long one. Used to have a prototype Alliance strike craft, but well explosions happened.”

 

The blonde pulled herself from her chair, “Well if you have any other worries let me know Joker, and get some sleep, the autopilot can handle getting us from point A to point B, and I want you at your best if we end up getting shot at.”

 

She strode down the OPS alley, nodding to those who acknowledged her, and received a terse greeting from Pressley, who she had to assume wasn't too pleased about what had purportedly transpired between herself and Liara. Well she supposed it had actually happened, but it wasn't like the crew actually knew for certain so she was still letting herself get a little ticked about it.

 

She passed through the door to the briefing room, and had already commanded the ship's V.I to contact the Council before she had even hit the bottom of the ramp.

 

A trio of figures quickly appeared, which meant that she had either been very lucky, or they had been waiting for her to contact them.

 

“ _Those ruins were priceless, Shepard.” Sparatus' mandibles flared as he gestured to the images the Normandy had snapped of the site as they left the system._

 

And she supposed that that answered her question, though it begged another one of how the Council had these files already, “Yes, I understand that, but given the choice between accomplishing my objective or letting Saren accomplish his, I made the right call.” She resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose, she really couldn't afford to tick off the Council this early into her hunt, once she had something to show for her efforts she could be a bit more forthcoming with her opinion.

 

“ _What about the Matriarch's daughter? Have you been able to extract any information from her yet?” Valern's holographic eyes seemed to glint with excitement at the idea of, 'extraction.'_

 

The blonde shook her head, “No, Doctor T'Soni has freely offered her expertise to aid us. And I can say with some certainty that she has had no contact with her Mother for some time.”

 

_Tevos frowned at that, “And what makes you so certain of this, Shepard?”_

 

“Several years ago forces claiming to be under the employ of Matriarch Benezia attempted to kidnap Doctor T'Soni, I had met her a few times before then and had given her a distress beacon. I managed to rescue the good Doctor, but could not confirm that the Matriarch was indeed behind the incident.”

 

She let out a small sigh, “After the attempted kidnapping several Prothean experts disappeared from dig sites scattered across the galaxy, Liara and I engaged in an investigation to try to determine the exact nature of these cases, and if there was a link to the Matriarch.”

 

_Sparatus was practically vibrating, “You were never given permission to engage in such an investigation.”_

 

The blonde shot him a withering glare, “Not being granted permission was SOP as far as I was concerned, plus Senior Spectres Vasir and Kyrik were both aware of my off the books activity.”

 

_Tevos shot a quick glance to either of her companions, “We aren't saying that what you did was wrong, Shepard. Just that to investigate a person of the Matriarch's stature without consulting us was, somewhat rash.”_

 

The blonde gave a soft chuckle, “And as I stated I wasn't investigating the Matriarch personally, I was simply trying to ascertain if the other disappearances also had a link to her like Liara's, or if they simply used the Matriarch's name in this singular attempt with the hope that it would allow them to capture Doctor T'Soni.”

 

_Tevos nodded, “And I assumed you must have learned something.”_

 

“Yes, from what evidence I was able to find each group did contain one of Benezia's acolytes, but there presence was merely suspicious, not enough to warrant bringing it to your attention.”

 

_Valern waved a hand in irritation, “Yes, fascinating, compile your findings into a report and send it to us later. What we need to know is if this little trip of yours has been a complete waste of time.”_

 

“No.” And she found herself unable to stop a, slightly, smug grin from crossing her face, “Liara's knowledge of the Prothean's enabled her to understand the beacon's message better than I had. She ascertained that the beacon was already damaged by the time it received the message it gave me, so Saren has no advantage here.”

 

_Sparatus nodded seeing where she was going, “And it means that he will need to find another beacon, one that is fully functional, not an easy feat.”_

 

_Valern flashed a predatory smile, “I'll re-task several STG teams to keep track of any more missing experts or artifacts, we'll also make sure to plant trackers on what beacons we know are at least functional though not active.”_

 

_Tevos inclined her head gracefully, “Excellent job, Spectre. It is a balm to our worries to see progress being made to quickly.”_

 

_Sparatus gave her a terse nod, “Good hunting, Spectre.”_

 

And with that she was once again alone, “V.I, connect me to Admiral Hackett.”

 

She idly tapped her foot for a few minutes as she scanned through files she projected on to her built in interface, but finally the projector began to hum to life again and the grizzled form of Admiral Hackett appeared before her.

 

“ _Shepard, I hear that you succeeded in securing the Doctor, excellent work.”_ She shrugged, “We were lucky that they hadn't considered that we would go after Liara this quickly, but that wasn't why I contacted you.”

 

_Hacket frowned, his hat casting his holographic eyes in shadow, “Oh?”_

 

The Spectre nodded, “I need to know the exact time frame of those reinforcements, I only have my primary ground team and four marines, not to mention our plating isn't up to par, a top off on the ship to ship ammunition would be nice too.”

 

_Hackett sighed, “I understand fully, the only problem is that we are getting a lot of backlash from Parliament about this. As you know the Normandy wasn't the budgetary committee's favorite project, and I think they have gotten it into their heads that we assigned the ship to you just to cost them extra credits.”_

 

Mismatched eyes blinked in confused anger, “Are you telling me that politics is holding up me actually turning this ship into something that might survive combat?”

 

_Hacket's grim look confirmed her statement, “There is something of a solution to this problem.”_

 

She crossed her arms, one of her eyebrows arcing up, “And what pray tell would that be?”

 

“ _One of our probes just sent out a pulse, a mission accomplished pulse.”_ The Commander's head tilted sideways, unsure of what the exact problem was here, “So? Probes finish their missions all the time, kind of their purpose to do the task they were assigned to do.”

 

_Hackett gave a small nod, “True, but this is an old FCW probe that was sent into Hierarchy space before the shooting had stopped, and this probe has a rather potent fail-safe.”_ Evalyn's lips plunged downward into a scowl as she recognized the Admiral's veiled hint, “How potent?”

 

“ _Fusion warhead, equivalent to what the Allies dropped on Hiroshima back in the 20th.”_

 

Eva turned away from the projection in an effort to mute the string of curses that emerged from her, finally swinging back around to fix a glare on the Admiral, “And why do I have to deal with this catastrophe of yours?”

 

“ _Because your Father approved the plan.”_

 

A silence for several moments, before a quiet, “Damn,” escaped from the blonde's lips.

 

_Hacket gave her an uncomfortable smile at the small outburst, “Understand that this was in the middle of the FCW, your Father found himself ordered by the President to handle our second stage response to the Turians while Admiral Drescher handled the immediate counterattack. We were in the dark, and no one wanted to just let our enemies get their hands on our technology, which led to the installation of the warhead fail-safe.”_

 

Eva mid-way through the explanation had found herself rubbing her temples in an attempt to ward off the migraine she fully expected to form from the sheer insanity of the situation, “Alright, I get the angle here, this is a test.”

 

_Hackett frowned, “Test?”_

 

“Ya, test.” She began to slowly stalk around the room, “You need to prove that I am willing to jump to the aid of the Alliance, but even you can't be sure that I am going to play nice. So, you make sure to threaten my Father's legacy to ensure my cooperation, and assuming I go along this time it means that you have further blackmail to keep me in line in the future.” She stopped her wandering, her eyes focused on the gloom directly in front of her, “Rather clever.”

 

She spun to focus her attention back on the Admiral, “I'll do it, but I have conditions.”

 

_Hackett sighed but nodded for her to continue._

 

“I'll want the full marine detachment that this ship deserves, and an overhaul of the Normandy's hull when we finally dock at Arcturus. I'll also want to use Pinnacle station during this downtime to run my men through combat scenarios that I find likely to occur.”

 

_Hackett was quiet for several moments before he spoke, “That is doable, though there is one other small detail you should be aware of.” Evalyn's stance communicated quite clearly that he was to continue speaking, “The probe was traced to the somewhere in the Voyager cluster.”_

 

That news caused a frown to cross Eva's features, “But that is on the opposite side of the galaxy from Hierarchy space, what the hell is it doing there?”

 

“ _We don't know, so be careful down there, Shepard.”_

 

A scoff filled the room the moment the Admiral's projection disappeared, “V.I summon the ground team to the briefing room.”

 

She quickly accessed the room's controls to activate the numerous lights that dimmed when the projectors were active, though after a few minutes of waiting she found herself pacing the room slowly. The first to arrive was Garrus, and the two of them gave the other a small nod as he settled himself somewhat awkwardly on the human designed chair. Tali showed up soon after that, practically gushing about how well the Normandy's sensors had evaded the Geth, though this was cut off as the trio of Jack, Kaidan, and Ashley arrived.

 

Wrex arrived soon afterwards, trailed closely behind by Liara, the two of them engaged in conversation, “She was a hell of a fighter back then, to bad she gave it up, once saw her snap some warlord's neck with just her biotics.” He gave a dry chuckle, “She didn't even mean to kill him, so she just sat there gaping at his body,” the Krogan gave a small shrug, “I mean we were going to kill him anyway so it wasn't like it hurt our bottom line.”

 

Liara laughed lightly at that, “That does sound like her, but she seems rather content with her bar.”

 

“Talking about Aethyta I assume.” Shepard had met the Matriarch both times she was on Illium, the first time to install her Gray box, and the second time when she was being refitted with a new implant following her induction into the Spectres. The Matriarch had actually set Liara and her up on a one night stand, and while the two had obviously had something of a connection it would be a few more years before they had actually gotten together.

 

Wrex just grunted in agreement, while Liara gave her a smile and a nod as she made her way to one of the empty seats. No one questioned her being her, so Shepard had to assume her little 'talk' with Ashley had already spread throughout the ship by now.

 

Now that everyone was present she moved towards the back of the room, leaning casually against the rail so that she had a full view of the room, and the door at the back as well. “Our rescue mission has netted us some useful information, namely that the beacon was damaged prior to receiving the message, so that means Saren is not running around with the full message in his head either.”

 

Kaidan leaned forward slightly, “It still wouldn't do him any good if he can't understand it though, right?” Shepard glanced at Liara, who after a few moments began to speak, “The beacon's were designed to be used by Prothean's, but with the right knowledge or mindset some individuals have been able to understand certain parts of the messages. Most people make the mistake of thinking that all Prothean artifacts are data caches like the one your people discovered, in fact most of them are part of this, communication network.”

 

Jack snorted, “So all this work just so we can read their mail, sound like a waste of time to me.”

 

Liara glared at the smaller human, but contained her outburst when she noticed that Shepard was lightly smirking at her reaction. So she just let out a small breath before continuing, “Yes, well that is where we will have to disagree, regardless it means that Saren will have to acquire another functional beacon to complete the message, on top of having to figure out someway to decode the message in full.”

 

Shepard took control again, “Several STG teams have been tasked to track down dig sites that match previous beacon sites, and whatever beacons that are in C-Space will be tagged with trackers in case Saren goes for a less subtle approach. We now have at least two opportunities to stop whatever he is planning before it reaches fruition, so I'll chalk this up as a win.”

 

She let out a small sigh, “But the SA are dragging their heels about getting us what they need, so now we have to do a favor for them. But first I have a personal mission to see through.” She paused before continuing, “Admiral Kahoku and I were investigating a Cerberus scientist operating out of this area, the Admiral had a squad of men looking for him but his last communique to me stated that his men had gone dark. Their last known location was only a system over so I plan on investigating before we head out.”

 

No one said anything at that, so she pushed herself against the railing, “Alright back to your stations.”

 

She held back until no one remained in the room, idly wondering how her life had so quickly turned into this web of promises and favors.

 

S&S

 

Miranda's eyes swept over the bridge, narrowed in an attempt to discover who exactly was making that infernal racket. Finally they landed on the comm's officer who's eyes were far more focused on his screen than she had ever seen them before, “Mr. Tillman, what exactly do you think you are doing?” Her icy voice instantly silenced the standard low whispering of the bridge, as well as causing the man to slowly turn around to face her.

 

“Nothing, Ma'am.” He continued to squirm under her gaze as she made her way to his station, her omni briefly flaring as she took control of the station allowing her to review what the man had been up to. She frowned at him, “Nothing? To me it looks like you were slacking off while at your station? Is this position just like that silly little game of yours? Something to not be taken seriously?”

 

The man's face scrunched in confusion, “I'm not following?”

 

Miranda gave a small but cruel laugh, “Of course you don't.” Her gaze swept across the bridge, “You all seem to think that just because we are in a relatively safe location that you can slack off.” She fixed her gaze back on Tillman, “That is not an option, especially now that we have been given an assignment.”

 

There was a small amount of muttering at that, but it quickly silenced itself as she began to speak again, “Several months ago one of the Alliance's Corsair units went rogue, apparently they felt that being restrained by the regulations of the Alliance was infringing on their ability to do some good out here. Our mission is to lure them in by pretending that we are as we pretend to be, that of a large scale mobile ore refinery.”

 

She paced over to her command station, inputting in the coordinates to the helmsman, “We will jump in, make a large amount of noise about setting up a wildcat operation in order to attract some pirate attention. If everything goes to plan our target shall arrive and we will initiate contact, if not then the gunners will have some target practice, and we begin again in another location.”

 

As silence descended upon the bridge the crew burst into activity, and soon they found themselves traveling away from the base Hannah was still overseeing, the scientists were once again stalling though at least this time they had something to show for it. They were currently moving multiple batches of thralls to several facilities to see if they could recreate the partial control they had gained over the creatures in different environments.

 

Which was why Hannah had green lighted this mission, and honestly she could tell that Miranda was going a little stir crazy with nothing to do but run drills, plus it was starting to piss of her crew.

 

Miranda shook her head at that, she wasn't a born leader, she could lead but it wasn't something that came naturally. She couldn't just fire off some speech and win over somebody, not like Hannah could, or Evalyn, just another reminder that she was the interloper in this little family of theirs.

 

Shaking her head in an attempt to get rid of the thought she turned her attention to the report in front of her, one 'Captain' Martin Confresi had managed to not only break away from the Alliance, but the former civilian had actually managed to convince the soldiers stationed aboard his ship to abandon their loyalty to the Alliance as well. Though if Miranda was being honestly that wasn't as impressive in reality as it sounded on paper, soldiers in the Corsair program were almost habitual malcontents.

 

This had been a few months ago, and it had quickly become clear that while 'Captain' Confresi had no plans on attacking ships from Citadel or Alliance space, those ships from the Hegemony or Terminus space had no such protections, civilian vessels included.

 

The man had been a merchant before agreeing to the Corsair program, and was apparently leveraging his old network of contacts to alert him to potential scores. Whatever his method eight ships had already been boarded, mostly Batarian though two had been Terminus merchants.

 

The Batarians had all been killed, though the Terminus crews had been left unharmed, minus their goods and however many Batarians were on board, a move that had not improved Aria's disposition towards the man.

 

And so since that left out Omega as a place to fence their stolen goods it had left a handful of systems that wouldn't turn away someone both openly engaging in piracy, and currently out of favor with Aria. And so they were heading for a region that held a backwater station in the Traverse charmingly known as 'Flotsam.'

 

The station was once an old outpost that had been set up as an early warning station following the Quarian exodus, as the Council back then had been certain that a synthetic invasion was incoming, and so a string of manned stations had been set up as the first line of defense. Of course over a hundred years of nothing will make even the most paranoid complacent, and so the stations were abandoned, until this particular example was brought back to operational capacity by an intrepid group of human scum. Now it was proof that you didn't have to go all the way to Omega to feel like your whole body was covered in filth by just walking around the block.

 

Charming truly was the word for it.

 

S&S

 

Shepard frowned as she went over the sensor data they were receiving from Edolus, the planet that she had found Kahoku's missing marines on, or at least an Alliance beacon that she assumed to be theirs. The dull thud that heralded Wrex's arrival let her know that he had responded to her summons, and with a gesture the topographical data she had been studying was projected on to the screen in front of her.

 

“Tell me what you see.”

 

The old Krogan moved to study the image, his eyes darting to and fro while the rest of his face remained wholly still. “Thresher nest.”

 

She let out a shaky sigh, “I thought as much, what do you think? Drop something from the bay on the nest and blast it? I'm pretty sure we have some ammunition for the main guns.”

 

Wrex gave a shake of his head, “You could do that, but I don't think that is what you should do.” He paused, before stating, “You pick a team, go down to the surface, and kill it.”

 

From anyone else it would either have been a joke, or a poor attempt at getting her killed. But this was Wrex, and well he saw the world differently than from how she saw it. So she resisted the urge to scoff and instead looked straight at him, “Why would I even consider doing that?”

 

A single thud reverberated through the room as he shifted his bulk to face her, leaning his head in as he stated a single unequivocal fact, “Because you're scared.”

 

The room lit up as her biotics reacted to her spike of anger, “I'm what?!”

 

But Wrex didn't even blink, “You're scared, have been since I saw you on the Citadel. Being with your own kind reminds you of what made you leave them, makes you weak.” He spat out that last part, and he paused only long enough to point at the obvious Thresher nest, “You need to go back to when you became weak, and you need to face that fear. No tricks, no clever tactics, just you, your krant, and the fear.”

 

She strode away, until she had the railing that encircled the room firmly in her hands, as if that would anchor her emotions down, “I can't face one of those things again.”

 

“Then I'm leaving.” It wasn't a threat, or him trying to leverage a better deal, it was just simple fact. “I won't follow someone who lets fear rule their actions, I never thought that would be you.” He had nearly made his way out of the room when he heard Shepard cry out, “Wait!”

 

The scarred alien twisted his head to regard her, “Will you stand with me against it?” Wrex gave deep chuckle at that, “Yep, just need one more and we have a party.”

 

Shepard gave a small nod at that, “Okay, ya, I'll go and check with Jack, or maybe Ashley.” Somewhere in her mind the part that was ruled by logic was screaming at her that she was being an idiot, but somehow she knew that Wrex was right. The damned old relic was eerily wise when it came to these kind of things.

 

She made her way surely, but slightly unsteadily down to the crew deck, and as fate would have it she spotted Ash sitting by herself at the mess table. Steeling herself for what was likely going to sound like an insane suggestion the Spectre sat opposite of the brunette.

 

Ashley had of course noticed her the moment she entered the room, and had poorly attempted to hide her scowl, still sore from how she had been shut down earlier.

 

“I believe we found Kahoku's team.” Ash gave a small shrug, “That's good right? We can get on to do something that is actually real SA business instead of this side trip.”

 

Shepard hardened her gaze, “It looks like they're dead, Ash. Lured into a Thresher nest with an Alliance distress beacon.” At that Ash glanced up, her anger at marines being slaughtered while they were just trying to help was quite frankly expected, indeed Shepard admitted to herself that she had counted on the reaction.

 

“I plan on taking down a ground team to investigate, as well as to take out the Maw on the surface.” Ash blinked a few times, “Why are you taking out a maw with the Mako, I mean you, of all people should know that it is dangerous to try that.”

 

Shepard shook her head, “We won't be using the Mako, on foot, strictly volunteer only.”

 

Ash thundered to her feet, her chair clattering behind her, “Do you have a deathwish!” Her shout reverberated throughout the room causing those who had been loitering about to cast a hasty retreat out of the room, but the shout was met with only a stony gaze from the Spectre it had been directed at, “No, I don't. What I do need to do is face my fears, and honestly I think you do too.” She slowly, and calmly stood up from the table, glancing at the still furious marine, “A part of me died on Akuze, I intend on reclaiming it today with or without your help.”

 

Her exit from the room was halted though as she spotted Liara standing in the doorway of her cabin, and she found herself summoned with a gesture from the Asari. A soft sigh escaped the blonde as she begrudgingly followed the doctor, prepping herself as she made her way into the dim living space for a rather vocal telling off in regards to her plan.

 

But instead Liara was seated rather calmly at the sole desk, her eyes held a kind of understanding, “This was Wrex's idea wasn't it?” At Shepard's nod blue lips twisted into a small smile, “Aethyta once explained to me the rite that all Krogan go through when they are entering adult hood, on rare occasions non-Krogan are allowed to attempt it, not many of them survive, but those that do always speak of a, clarity that facing the Maw brings them.”

 

Evalyn knelt down so that she was more level with the Asari, “I need to do this, Li. If I am to get us all through this alive then I need to, well I need to be who I was, not this shadow, I need to be fearless, I need to be doubtless.” A blue hand cupped her cheek, “You need to be Commander Shepard.” The blonde gave a small nod into her hand, causing Liara to give her another small smile before she leaned forward and kissed the human's forehead, “Just come back to me alive, without my gear I can't come down to save you if you do something stupid.”

 

The blonde gave a small laugh, “Alright, I'll be extra careful then.” Liara playfully swatted her, “If you weren't being extra careful before, then you were not being careful enough in the first place.” Eva dodged a second strike and danced her way back to the doorway, “I'll be back before you know it.” A muffled, “You better,” followed her as the door shut behind her, only for the Spectre to almost run straight into Ashley who was loitering outside of her doorway.

 

Both women recovered quickly, Ash for her part was rather embarrassed while the blonde simply looked annoyed at what she assumed was about to be another attempt by the marine to interject her opinion on Liara.

 

“I'd like to come.”

 

That was not the statement she was prepared for, and so Evalyn found herself stating out loud her confusion, “What?”

 

Ash blinked, figuring that Shepard simply didn't get what she meant, “On this Maw hunt, I want in. I said that I would have your back on the Citadel, and that still stands. Regardless of the skin color of your girlfriend, I, I let my own issues cloud my judgment there. You're the Commander, and if you think that this, hunt, is needed then I want to make sure that you get out of there in one piece.”

 

A small grin swept across Eva's face, as she gripped her natural arm on to the marine's shoulder, “Thanks, Ash.”

 

The brunette allowed a mirrored grin to grace her features, “Anytime, Skipper.”

 

S&S

 

The trio found themselves bouncing lightly as the Mako made its way towards both the Thresher nest, and the remains of the marine squad. A light squeal filled the cabin as she brought the Mako to a hard stop at the edge of the depression that marked the creatures lair, Evalyn's eyes scanned the area before her frowning at the sight of the beacon sitting in the epicenter of the lower ground.

 

“This doesn't make sense.” Footfalls announced Ashley's arrival as she plopped down into the chair next to her, the marine tilted her head in an attempt to get a better view of the site before her, “Is that a Grizzly?”

 

Evalyn nodded, “Ya, which means that they were dropped in by a ship, so where is it? And why would they just leave their marines behind?”

 

Ashley was quiet for some time, “Could they have gone for help, if they had equipment problems then maybe they would have had to travel to the nearest Alliance outpost.” Evalyn sighed, “Lot of happenstance in that explanation, I think a single solution here is the most likely.”

 

Wrex's voice rumbled from the cabin behind them, “Cerberus you mean.”

 

Eva nodded, “The Admiral was conducting this search without approval from the higher ups so he wouldn't be able to investigate without risking his own career, so the ship just drops his men off at this trap effectively ending his hunt for Banes before it began.”

 

Ashley shook her head, “But how do you know that it is Cerberus, I mean this beacon could have been set up by the Batarian's for all we know.” Evalyn sighed, her omni flashing as it displayed the signal being relayed, “That is a perfect mimic of an Alliance beacon, and it matches the signal that led my unit to Akuze.”

 

Ashley's helmeted head snapped towards the blonde, “You think this is the same group that was responsible for Akuze?” Evalyn was completely still but finally her voice answered for her, “No, I hunted all of those bastards down. But it doesn't mean that Cerberus didn't simply start up a new cell with the same goal, though I still have no idea what they hope to accomplish with this.”

 

A sudden shift caused both human's to glance back into the cabin as they saw Wrex making his way to the back hatch, “Enough talk, we came here to do something, let's do it.”

 

Eva nodded as she grabbed her rifle from the mount next to her seat, “He's right,” she glanced at Ashley, “If you want to back out I understand.”

 

Ashley simply stomped her way to grab her LAC and the missile launcher she had appropriated from the quartermaster, “Right behind you, Shepard.”

 

The two of them hopped out of the back of the tank to join the Krogan who was standing on the lip of the depression, his reptilian head spun to look at Shepard, “You go in first to signify that you are the one challenging the Maw, once it has shown itself then the two of us will join you.” He was quiet for a few moments before he spoke again, “The Maw is pure primal power, it is a creature that exists only to consume, remember that.”

 

The Spectre didn't say anything, instead she nodded her armored head and took a step forward coasting across the loose gravel of the basin until she stopped as the crater leveled out. Thresher's could move quickly underground but they usually stuck to one location for where they would rest, the constant movement underground was what resulted in the telltale dips. Of course Thresher's did range quite far for their sustenance, so a nest was never guaranteed to be occupied.

 

Her hands trembled slightly as she took step after step forward towards the beacon at the epicenter, as her mind of course went back to that fateful mission that had derailed her life so drastically that only now was she beginning to truly pick up the pieces.

 

But as soon as she was only about a Mako length away from the beacon the ground suddenly exploded, earth and dust filled the air front of her as an ear piecing shriek emerged from the cloud that signaled the Thresher's entrance, and she now knew that the nest was not empty.

 

Fight or flight reflexes kicked in and the Spectre had already thrown herself into a roll the moment the first tremor had been felt, avoiding the creature's attempt to crush her with its tentacles, the human woman came up into a crouch her rifle firing shells that this time pierced the beast's hide causing rivulets of green blood to emerge from the impact sites.

 

The best let out an enraged cry, causing the human to issue her own battle cry at the creature. The Maw screeched once more as she intensified her efforts unused to such a small creature being able to cause it actual pain, which only served to cause it to redouble its efforts to crush the human, forcing her to dodge even further backwards. Into the range that the creature's acid glands were most effective.

 

The beast reared back ready to discharge its volatile payload, only to be violently knocked off trajectory as a missile slammed into the beasts head. Shepard quickly calculated the missile's still visible atmospheric trail to figure out that Ash had fired it from the bottom edge of the basin.

 

Wrex's bellow filled the air as the Krogan discharged numerous explosive rounds from his weapon, but the creature paid the Krogan no heed, instead it whipped several tentacles towards the Spectre in an effort to grab her this time, instead of crush her.

 

She dropped her rifle as both arms were engulfed in an orange glow as the flash forged blades emerged from her omni's, slipping into an Asari combat stance as she sliced through several grasping appendages that were attempting to capture her.

 

The beast gave out another shriek of pain following her counterattack, and in an attempt to protect itself it pulled back, and before the trio could react it had pulled its bulk underground, “ _Careful, Maw's don't give up easily.”_ Wrex's eyes swept across the area, looking for the telltale signs of cracks appearing in the stone that would indicate a Thresher's potential arrival.

 

Ash's sudden string of curses caused both the Spectre and Mercenary to spin around, just in time to see the marine throw herself clear of the impact zone of the beast, but still in much too close proximity to the creature. The marine hastily fired off another missile, causing the creature's first attempt to crush her to fail spectacularly, and while the warped armor from where the missile had struck was promising the creature seemed to recognize that Ashley was what brought forth these sudden bursts of painful flame.

 

“Ash!” The blonde took off at a dash, cross-drawing her regular pistol into her synthetic arm as she drew a bead on what she assumed was one of the creature's eyes. Her pistol barked several times, the recoil accounted for by the steel that didn't need to give in to the forces of physics to avoid the discomfort, the trio of rounds she fired struck true causing the massive beast to rear back, before with a cry of pain it moved to slam its mass to the ground where Ashley was attempting to stand up.

 

Shepard tapped into her biotics, as she slammed a push field into the marine, causing Ashley to be forcibly tossed away but before Evalyn could tell if she had gotten her friend clear the beast hit the ground, a cloud of dust covering the area from where the Maw had hit the ground. Shepard didn't even pay attention to the shadow of the rising beast beast, instead she tried to find her friend hidden in the poor visibility that now surrounded the creature, “Ashley!”

 

Her comm's crackled as the woman's voice came through, “ _I'm alright, Skipper. But could you be a little more gentle next time.”_

 

A screech caused the Commander to remember just where the hell she was, and as she switched her vision to heat to counteract the dust she found herself starring at a glowing tentacle which struck her soundly in the chest, knocking her backwards and away from the combat zone. Wrex though had joined the fray in that time, shouting at the beast in some language that her translator didn't even recognize, a grin on his face as one of the beast's primary appendages was blasted off of its body by his Claymore.

 

She struggled to her feat, clipping the pistol in her hand to the side of her hip armor as she drew her explosive pistol from its concealed holster, a quintet of explosions blossomed across the creatures body as the high explosive ammunition caused the beast's natural armor to buckle and in some cases break, but the attack was halted as the weapon began its urgent attempts to bleed off the excess heat that the shots had produced.

 

“Ash aim for the spots where the plates are damaged!” The brunette clicked twice into her mic to indicate she received her but Shepard was already busy firing at the beast with her regular pistol once again in her right arm, the still cooling HE pistol having been transferred into her left. Another fiery blossom slammed into the beast's torso, though this blast compromised a large section of the torso, but the heat helped to cauterize the wound until the beast instinctively moved in pain, causing a torrent of green blood to seep into the ground.

 

“ _Shepard it's going to retreat.”_

 

And something inside her snapped back into place, as the blonde growled, “Like hell it is!” Which was how she found herself charged at the creature shouting some battlecry at the top of her lungs, firing at its vital areas just to entice it to make a grab at her. It was the work of a moment for the creature and so Shepard suddenly found herself once again in the grasp of one of these beast's appendages, and soon found herself starring into the disgusting maw of the beast, which was exactly where she wanted to be.

 

It shrieked at her, as though indignant that such a small creature could hope to fight her, but as her hands drifted to the charges on her belt a grim smile formed on her face.

 

She didn't even bother to aim, as she was so close to the creature's open maw that she literally could, and did drop them inside the beast's orifice, and so the moment the explosives left her hands she focused all of her biotics into a single exercise, shielding herself from the explosion to come.

 

The timers, which had been measured in seconds, went off, and suddenly the beasts' head, and the massive body underneath the surface were no longer connected. The force wave from the blast sent her soaring, her barrier cracking underneath the pressure as she slammed forcefully into the ground, skidding across the loose soil until she rebounded solidly off of the remains of the Grizzly.

 

She found herself just laying there dazed for several moments as she watched the ground beneath the Thresher's decapitated upper body crack and buckle from the death throes of the body beneath, until finally even the portion of the beast that she had been fighting was claimed by the growing fissure in the ground.

 

And then she began to laugh, it wasn't crazed, or forced, just a true bought of laughter brought on from the fact that she was alive and that thing was dead. Wrex too was chuckling as he helped Ashley stand up, the marine's missile launcher was dragging across the ground as she had seemingly taken a bad hit to her right arm during the fight.

 

As her laughter began to subside she glanced over at the marine, “You alright, Chief?” She received a small nod, “Nothing that some medi-gel and a talking to from Chakwas won't fix.”

 

Shepard shifted her gaze to the Krogan, “You okay, Wrex.”

 

Wrex for his part just grinned at her, “Yep.”

 

She laughed softly at that, “Alright, I want this beacon prepped for transport, I'll try and see if I can find these men's dogtags.” She didn't voice out loud that it was a rather unlikely possibility but these men had given their lives, and they deserved at least this much respect at the very least.

 

S&S

 

“Ouch!” Evalyn let out another yelp of pain as the Krogan pierced her skin for what felt like the thousandth time, Liara for her part was just smirking nearby as she watched the Krogan do his work.

 

“Not my fault that you felt the need to kill it, everyone that kills a maw in the rite needs the mark, that goes for you too, Shepard.” She swore she could hear the laughter in his voice, but she just tensed as she readied herself for another sting as he added another mark to the symbol being inked out on her left arm.

 

He gave a light chuckle, “I was the last person to have killed a Maw during their right, so you should be honored to join a very exclusive club, any Krogan who sees that mark will know that you are someone to respect.”

 

She frowned at that comment, “Then why wouldn't someone just fake it?”

 

Wrex actually bellowed at that, “Not many people want the respect of my people Shepard,” he chuckled to himself for a few more moments before he spoke again, “Anyway a rite needs to be overseen by either a Shaman, or a Battlemaster. I still have some connections back home, and I'm willing to contact them to let them know about this, don't be surprised if you become a bit of a celebrity among Krogan for this.”

 

A small thought crinkled at the edge of her mind, “What did you do with that old armor I helped you get? I understood that it had some sentimental value, but I felt like there was something more going on there.”

 

Wrex became very silent, the only reason she knew he wasn't asleep was that on occasion a new pinprick of pain bloomed on her arm, but when he did speak his voice was filled with a mixture of sadness and regret, “I left Tchunka because I had no real choice, I was sick of watching my people kill themselves rather than attempt to live.”

 

He was silent for several more moments, “We just need one generation to focus on breeding, just one and maybe, just maybe, I won't have to witness the end of my species.” He let out a long drawn out sigh, “When I first left Tchunka I thought that if I came back with something to remind my people of our past that I could make them understand that we could be great once again, but the longer I was out here the more I realized that we don't deserve to be great again. What kind of species doesn't even fight for its own survival?”

 

He was silent again, but Evlayn knew he had more to say so they just sat there in silence for a long time, only her occasional yelp of pain breaking the silence. Finally Wrex began to speak again, his voice was softer than normal, well as soft as a Krogan's can be, “That armor was just me wanting to finish a foolish dream that I once had, I think its sitting in a crate somewhere at one of my safe houses, just something that has outlived its usefulness that doesn't have the sense to just fade away,” he gave a dark chuckle at that, “Just like the people who made it I guess.”

 

Before she could reply the Krogan sat back, twisting her arm a little to examine his handiwork, “Not too bad if I say so myself, I think Blue over there likes it too.”

 

Evalyn glanced up to see a faint blush on Liara's cheeks, which only caused her to grin at the maiden, “Why, Doctor, I had no idea you were attracted to people with body art, should I be worried that Jacqueline will sweep you away from me?”

 

Liara gave a small, but sarcastic laugh, “No offense to Miss. Nought, but she's not my type.” She pair shared a small grin before Liara continued, “With the loss of my guards on Therum I have few commandos who aren't already on assignment, but I have two that are free so I ordered them to make their way to Arcturus, I assume their abilities could be helpful for the foreseeable future.”

 

Eva nodded, “They would be a blessing, though I would need to use them with the marines. Not much call for hit and run tactics when we are the hunters.”

 

Liara nodded, “As long as they know that it is my will for them to obey, they will.” She paused for a few moments before she let a shy smile cross her lips, “Wrex was right though, I do like it.”

 

Evalyn grinned as she planted a kiss on the Asari's lips, “Well I'm glad that this mark has only added to my stunning looks,” she paused briefly as she ran her right arm along Liara's waist, “I need to get to work though, so let's just table this discussion till later?” A wry smile pulled at the Spectre's lips, to which Liara could only smile back at her, “I suppose you might be able to talk me into it.”

 

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit Song: End of Me by Ashes Remain
> 
> This originally had both the Thresher Maw and the Espionage probe mission, but I kind of realized that I needed to give Wrex some spotlight time, and Evalyn needed to get some shit in order. So what better way then to have them fight a Maw on foot, I mean if you had issues going in you don't have them coming out.
> 
> I'm actually working on the design that Wrex just inked on her, but if anyone artistically inclined has an idea on what they think a Krogan, 'you just killed the most deadly creature in the galaxy' mark looks like let me know.


	10. Favors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not enjoy writing this chapter, just never hit a real mood for writing so I ended up just doing it in small bursts here and there. 
> 
> Not that he needs me to plug him here, but for anyone who hasn't read OSABC and the related works you really should. Logical Premises' AU story is honestly the reason why I decided to go ahead and finally work up the courage to write again.

S&S

 

A beleaguered Harrison Shepard made his way towards the towering monolith that was the SA's parliament, when he had been overseeing Arcturus' construction he had been focused solely on finishing the outer elements of the stations core, and with the exception of Evalyn's birth he had remained on Earth for his entire retirement, as such this was the first time he had ever entered the political heart of the Alliance.

 

Shastri, technically the Right Honorable Prime Minister if he was being terribly official, had summoned him, and Harrison knew that it had something to do with Evalyn, because that girl was just a lightning rod for bad luck.

 

He suppressed a grimace as he pushed his way through the doors and his shoes clicked on the marble flooring, trust the politicians to spare no expense when trying to convince others how important they were.

 

A small waif of a girl in what he would term a power suit came striding up to him, a small, fake, smile on her face as she began to speak, “Hello, Admiral. The Prime Minister is waiting for you in his office, if you would just follow me please.” The girl began to stride towards one of the side exits from the entrance, and having no other option Harrison sighed to himself as he began to walk after her.

 

The columned entrance soon gave way to yet more marble flooring, but these were offset by, no doubt, expensive wood paneling. The overabundance of wealth being displayed was making the old Admiral nostalgic for the days when they station had been nothing but beams and plating floating in space, because despite how well you design something, human stupidity will always find a way to thrive.

 

Finally the click of the girls heels ended as they stopped in front of a door that looked like any other, “The Prime Minister is just inside, Admiral.”

 

“Thank you, dear.” He moved to open the door but the girl held up a hand for him to stop, and instead she rapped on the wooden surface.

 

Several moments later the most obvious looking bodyguard in history poked his head out the door, but before he could ask a question Shastri's voice could be heard from inside, “Damnit, Jones, just let Harrison inside.”

 

The man stepped out of the doorway without a word, admitting the Admiral inside with a small nod, closing the door behind Harrison as soon as he was clear of the door frame.

 

Shastri's office was smaller than he expected, and it lacked a window due to where it was situated on the station, so instead a high resolution screen mimicked the view of the man's estate back on Earth, or rather the view as it had been a century prior, the global rise in sea levels had caused the Indian ocean to swallow Shastri's ancestral holdings before he was even born.

 

“Please, Harrison, take a seat.” Harrison gave a small nod of thanks to the already seated man, and as he sank into the plush leather chair he was forced to give out a groan as his body reminded him just how old he really was.

 

Shastri allowed himself a small smirk at the outburst, “Age catches up to all of us, old friend, even you.” Harrison simply glowered at the man seated across from him, “It might catch most of us, but it hasn't caught me yet, just nipped at my heels once or twice.”

 

The Prime Minister gave a sage nod at that, before clasping his hands together, “First, would you care for a refreshment, coffee? Tea?” Harrison just shook his head, “Water would be fine, as would getting straight to the point.”

 

Shastri gave a light chuckle at that, “Well then, let's get right to it shall we.” The man tapped a control that caused the screen behind him to switch to a shot of Evalyn standing in the Council chamber, “Evalyn is a problem, we need some assurances that she hasn't gone native during her five years as Varan.”

 

Harrison didn't even bother to hide his frown, “Assurances?”

 

Shastri shot him an exasperated look, “Harrison, I understand that she is you Granddaughter, which is why I came to you with this. But she was involved with several highly classified projects, and we need to know that she kept those secrets,” the man floundered for a moment before finding his tongue again, “In house.”

 

“You mean you want to make sure she didn't turn her back on the organization that threw her away like a broken toy,” Shastri's face betrayed nothing, but Harrison knew that it had scored a point, but the oldest man in the room sighed, “She's a Shepard, she wouldn't betray the Alliance, its in her bones.” The Prime Minister gave him a small nod at that, “I would love nothing more than to accept your word on this matter, but this is bigger than the two of us. I can't in good conscience let the Alliance get blindsided in some future negotiation because the grandchild of an old friend let slip a secret.”

 

Harrison sighed, but gave a small nod, “What do you need to feel, assured?”

 

“Well a meeting with her would be a start, I understand that she plans on coming to the station in the immediate future. Make sure she understands that meeting with me is paramount if she want to see some traction with the budgetary committee.”

 

Harrison once again made a small nod, wondering what turn his life had made that the word budgetary committee was a veiled threat. “Any other suggestions you you would like passed along? Maybe an offer she can't refuse?”

 

The Prime Minister shook his head, “Nothing so bold, but her crew, the non-huma-,” Harrison held up his hand to interrupt him, “I'd drop that thought right there, all telling her to get rid of her aliens is going to accomplish will be either a dropped call, or a punch in the face, depends on how close she is to you at the time.”

 

Shastri gave him a slightly annoyed look, “As I was saying, perhaps a gesture of appreciation for them could be shown while they are here. They are after all risking their lives for a mission the Council has dubbed as a, 'human issue.'” The man showed obvious disgust as he used air quotes over the last part of the sentence, causing the Admiral to darkly chuckle, “Yeah, whoever taught Sparatus what that gesture meant was an idiot.”

 

Shastri let a small grin play across his features before pulling out a single file from his desk, sliding it across the table towards Harrison. The Admiral opened it with a wary expression, which soon warped to confusion, “What exactly am I looking at here?”

 

The Prime Minister was silent for several moments before he replied, “That is the real name of Evalyn's companion, Jacqueline Nought.”

 

Harrison's brow raised at that, “Jennifer Slavik,” Shastri's voice quietly interjected, “Roughly translates as Jennifer Nightingale,” which only caused the Admiral to grunt in reply as he continued to read, “Born in Helios city, on Eden Prime.”

 

That fact caused the older male to glance up, “Please tell me that they didn't die in the attack.”

 

Shastri gave a small shake of his head, “As far as we can tell there was no father ever registered on her birth certificate, as to her Mother, she moved out to one of the wildcats following the supposed death of her daughter, the Doctor who told her that her child had died implied that it was due to negligence on the SA's behalf.” Harrison continued reading the file so Shastri continued to speak, “She has a half-sister, she's ten, no biotic potential has manifested as of yet.”

 

Harrison closed the file with a snap, “Where did this information come from anyway? I can't see it having just been sitting in the Alliance database, because we both know that Evalyn would have hacked it by now.”

 

Shastri frowned, but was forced to acknowledge that the Admiral was right, “Yes, it wasn't just sitting around in a database, we had to contact the Shadow Broker for this information.” Harrison tilted his head at that, “A lot of risk for a single name on a sheet of paper, what's the endgame here?”

 

Shastri just gave out a sharp bark of laughter, “The endgame? The endgame here is getting a biotic who with some actual training could potentially go toe to toe with a Matriarch. If we can win her loyalty over she will be a stupendous resource, plus with her rather tragic history of attempting to form something akin a family, if we were to actually give her what she's been looking for.”

 

Harrison sighed, but he had to admit that it was a brilliant plan, “Then you win her for life, ya I can see the angles. I assume you want me to forward this file to Evalyn as well?”

 

“That would be greatly appreciated, Admiral.”

 

S&S

 

Shepard padded over to Reilly who had half of his body inside of the beacon they had retrieved from the Maw next, a dull metallic clang echoed from inside the device as the man not very quietly insulted the mother of whoever had created the contraption he was working on.

 

“Find anything of interest in there, Chief?” No actual reply came but the man's hand shot out from under the edge of the beacon, a component of some sort in his outstretched hand. Evalyn took it, turning it around in her hands as she tried to decode what the device in her hands did, and a frown overtook her features as she figured it out.

 

“Signal jammer.” A screech of wheels signaled that Operations Chief had managed to extract himself from the beacon, “Looks like, little bastard was linked to a proximity trigger, whoever dropped this thing didn't want word getting out.”

 

The blonde's eyes narrowed at the small component, “Our signal was jammed on Akuze as well, I just always thought that the shuttle was more damaged than it had appeared.”

 

The Chief gave a minute nod at that, before tapping the beacon to bring her attention to it, “Everything else is completely to spec, like it just rolled off the line. But, well blasted thing has no serial codes, I've got the quartermaster trying to find out if there are any missing beacons out there, but I wouldn't hold my breath.”

 

Evalyn sighed, one step forward two steps back as usual, but she gave the man a nod of thanks, “I appreciate the help Chief, we're heading out to investigate a FCW probe that wandered out of its operational zone, I'd like you to come down with me.”

 

The man looked at her dubiously, “I thought that I wasn't on the A-team, Ma'am?”

 

The two of them were still for a few moments before Eva just sighed, “Look, I stand by what I said earlier, but I didn't mean to imply that you or the marines under your command are unwanted. But I also don't intend on risking anyone's lives needlessly, which means I need to outfit the lot of you beyond standard Alliance Spec, and it means training with non-human support, I've got two commandos waiting to join us once we arrive on Arcturus.”

 

The older man tilted his head at the last bit of news, “And will they be serving with my marines? Or your team?” Eva gave a small nod in his direction, “Under you, and they will follow orders, don't worry about that.”

 

Reilly gave a pleased nod at that, “Alright, you've got my ego well satisfied, what do ya need from me, Commander.”

 

She gave a small laugh as she pulled up the specs that Hackett had sent her of the Probe, “This is the device in question, I know that it is technically from before your time but, well, I wasn't even born when the damn thing was made. Have you ever had to do any work on pre-FCW tech?”

 

The man leaned in, studying the schematics as he gave her a small nod to answer her question, “Yes, Ma'am, I have. Lots of annoying little fail-safes built into this bitch,” his eyes continued to study it while he questioned the Spectre, “It wandered off you said? Exactly where was it supposed to be?”

 

“Hierarchy territory.”

 

The caused the man to regard her, “So it's a trap then?”

 

At the Spectre's unamused expression the man just shrugged, “You could've just said yes.”

 

He pulled back, and the orange glow of the Commander's omni faded, “I'm thinking of taking Jacqueline down with us, if the Doctor gives he the all clear. She's a good fighter in a pinch, plus she needs to get used to working with Alliance soldiers,” the blonde paused momentarily before adding, “Plus if I don't let her blow something up soon, I'm worried she'll start pulling off bulkheads for fun.”

 

S&S

 

Shortly after she had finally gotten a reply from Admiral Kahoku that he had the time to talk to her, and so she found herself sitting at her desk to deliver the bad news to the man.

 

“Yes, Admiral, I've found your men, I'm sorry to report that they were lured into a Thresher nest by a trap disguised as an Alliance beacon.” The man's face on her monitor seemed to age as he took in the news, his eyes noticeably more hollow as he stared at her through the screen in her cabin, “Do you have any leads as to who might have left the trap?” Evalyn gave a small nod, “It matches a similar device that I have encountered before, one that was linked with Cerberus.”

 

Kahoku just gave out a long sigh, “I suppose it was too optimistic of me to hope to get in the first shot before Cerberus figured out someone was after them, but you have more than done your part, Spectre. Now is the time for me to do mine, if I learn anything more I'll let you know.”

 

As the Admiral shut off the link on his end Evalyn moved to shut off the terminal in front of her when it pinged with a notification, frowning she opened it up to discover that her Grandfather had contacted her, leaving her with instructions to contact her at her earliest convenience.

 

“Which I guess would be now.” She grumbled to herself as she pinged a call to the return address.

 

It took only a few moments for Harrison to blink into view, “That was faster than I thought.” Eva for her part just shrugged, “You managed to catch me at an opportune time, so you said that it was urgent.”

 

Her Grandfather nodded, “The Prime Minister wants to meet with you, apparently there is some worry that you've gone 'native,' his words not mine.” Evalyn groaned, dropping her head so that her loose hair hid her face momentary, “Why can no one just let me do my job? Goddess this was so much easier when I was dead.”

 

She ignored the momentary frown that flashed across Harrison's face when she took a non-human Diety in vain, honestly she was just glad that she had remembered to speak English, that would have been awkward to explain if she had started this conversation in Armalian.

 

The Admiral just gave her a hard stare, “This isn't about the easy way Evalyn, this is about doing this the right way. Your humanities first damn Spectre who just so happened to have spent the last five years playing dressup as an Asari, are you honestly surprised that the paranoid pricks in parliament don't want to just up and bankroll this little enterprise.”

 

But Evalyn had no intention of backing down here, “I thought that they could put aside their racist bullshit for long enough for me to take down Saren, or did we all forget we have a homicidal Turian out there with a gigantic warship in his possession. A Spectre who might I add was not only the longest serving Spectre currently alive, but also the man who trained Nihlus, who if we are keeping score here, was the man who trained me.”

 

A spark of electric blue traveled down the length of her synthetic arm before it jumped across to the desk as her body's field reacted to her increasing anger, but her Grandfather just fixed her with the same look he used to give her when she was having a tantrum. “You're a Shepard, Evalyn. We helped to found the SA, and I'll be damned if you are the first Shepard to walk away from it.”

 

That actually brought out a harsh bark of laughter, “What? Worried that the last Shepard is also going to be the one who breaks our streak?” Harrison frowned at this old argument, “Nice try at shifting topics, but no dice.”

 

The blonde's face twisted with anger, “No dice? The SA tried to convince me that Akuze was just some horrible accident, then when I finally found some shred of evidence that they had missed I suddenly find myself declared psychologically unfit for duty, and to kick it all off my own Mother testifies against me.” Harrison opened his mouth to speak but she shouted over him, “And then when they realize that not only am I still alive, but that I'm a goddamn Spectre in spite of them, well then I'm a patriot who made the ultimate sacrifice in order to further represent the SA.”

 

She was silent for a few moment, before in a near whisper she spoke, “And the thing I hate the most is that it sounds like something I would do, I mean I know that it wasn't how it happened, but the lie is so much more palatable to me than the truth.”

 

Neither Shepard spoke as Evalyn pulled herself back together, pulling her hair back out of her face when she finally felt back in control, “I'll meet with him, but I'm not promising anything. I'm done being a pawn to anyone, make that clear.”

 

Harrison held up a thin folder, causing a small smile to tug at the Spectre's lips, the technophobe was still strong in her Grandfather it seemed. The man didn't say anything, instead her just opened the folder, holding it up for her to review, and the contents honestly surprised her.

 

“Jacqueline has a family?” The Admiral nodded, “We're still trying to track where exactly they are, her Mother is an extremely skilled engineer when it comes to the uses of element zero, that was how she was exposed to such a high concentration when she was pregnant with the girl.”

 

Evalyn sighed, “I have no idea how to broach this with her, I don't even know how she would take this news.” She pushed out of her chair so that she could pace, walking helped when she was trying to think through something, “You've positive that this is her family?”

 

Harrison shrugged, “We paid the Broker for this intel, assuming that the syndicate is as trustworthy as it always has been I can't see why it wouldn't be.”

 

She shook her head, “This has to be the worst, good news in history,” she continued to pace for a short time more before coming to a stop, “Alright, I'm planning on taking Jacqueline down to handle this probe business for the SA. If she seems to be acclimatizing well I'll try to, gently, let her know about this. Otherwise I might wait until I'm on a planet, and not in a ship that is vulnerable to explosive decompression.”

 

Harrison gave a involuntary shudder, which caused Eva to inwardly groan. Her Grandfather had been part of the initial batch of human's who truly utilized spaceflight, and had unfortunately been on board a ship that had catastrophically failed killing most of the crew. The man had hated space ever since, but his pride and loyalty to the fledgling SA had kept in the Void for most of his service career.

 

The Admiral nodded once he had recovered, “I'll pass the word along to the Prime Minister, wear something nice, I'm sure he will want to show you off some.”

 

She shot him a smirk, “I'll even polish my arm,” before flicking off the transmission. Waiting several moments to fully calm herself she spoke to the empty room, “V.I, can you ask Doctor Chakwas to join me in my cabin if she isn't busy.”

 

A small ping filled the chamber as it indicated that the V.I had registered the command, but it took several minutes before the artificial female voice chimed in, “Doctor Chakwas is on her way, Spectre.”

 

Shepard turned towards the door as it whooshed open, gesturing towards the still empty chair, “Doctor, thank you for coming, please have a seat.”

 

The older woman smiled warmly at the Commander, “Thank you, dear.” And as she settled herself down she turned to glance at the blonde, “And what can I help you with, Commander?”

 

“Jacqueline.” Chakwas frowned, “If you are asking if she has been a problem, then no she hasn't. Though she keeps mostly to herself, Kaidan has managed to coax her out to join the crew once or twice, I guess she sees him as a kindred spirit of sorts.”

 

Evalyn nodded, noting that as a particularly useful piece of information for later, perhaps Kaidan could help to let her know about what the SA had discovered, “Well that is good, but no what I mean is, I would like to take her down for a sortie.” She held up her hands to placate the doctor before she could interject, “I understand that you cautioned against it, but we might not be able to get back to Arcturus as quickly as I had hoped. And if I'm going to make this crew into something that resembled a fighting unit, then I need to be able to bring who I need before we get into the thick of it.”

 

The matronly woman hummed to herself in response, “She can go down on two conditions, one is a checkup before and after every mission.”

 

“Agreed.”

 

“The second is that you owe me a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy.”

 

A blonde eyebrow quirked up at that, “Are you asking for a bribe?” Chakwas just gave out a hearty laugh at that, “Heavens no my dear, it's a gift after all.”

 

“A most expensive gift, but I suppose the woman who is going to be stitching me up should have only the very best to steady her hands.” The two women shared a small laugh together at that, before Chakwas extracted herself from the Spectre's chair, “Was there anything else you needed, Commander?”

 

The blonde shook her head in the negative, as she followed the Doctor out of her cabin, her attention instantly drawn to the fact that there was no one in the mess hall, “That's odd, no one's here.”

 

The Doctor gave a small shrug, “I saw most of the crew heading down to the cargo hold, though I honestly have no idea what the fuss was all about.”

 

Shepard sighed as she triggered the security feed down in the cargo hold to pop up on to her HUD, and while the camera showed a large gathering of the crew surrounding a projector set up in the hold, though the angle didn't show a clear view of what they were watching.

 

Letting out a small groan she bid goodbye to the Doctor as she headed to the elevator, deciding that she may as well find out what all the fuss was about.

 

As the lift traveled downwards she could hear loud cheers coming from the collected crew, and a rather loud 'fuck ya' that likely belonged to Jack. Which were all immediately silenced as the lift opened and she stepped out to find the crew watching what she assumed to be Ash's armorcam footage of their last mission.

 

“Shit, it's the Commander.” And like a parting sea the crew between her and the projector scattered leaving a much less mobile Joker to deal with what they assumed would be the Spectre's ire. “Joker, I thought I told you to get some rack time.”

 

The pilot just laughed awkwardly at that, “You know what it's like when you try to sleep and you just can't manage it.” His joke of course elicited no change from the Spectre's stony facade, “Joker, we have sleeper pods, they don't give you much choice when it comes to sleep or not.”

 

Kaidan stepped forward, “Ma'am, it's my fault, I should have put a stop to it.” Shepard sighed as she shook her head, “I have no problem with people blowing off some steam, what I have a problem with are people shirking their responsibilities. So unless anyone, like you for example Gladstone, or you Howe, who is on duty right now would like to argue with me as to why you are down here, I strongly encourage you all to get back to your assigned duty stations.”

 

As the crowd noticeably shrunk the Spectre shot a small grin at the pilot, wirelessly transferring a file from her omni into the storage device Joker had hooked up to the projector, “My footage is much more exciting.”

 

Joker blinked a few times, before he realized what she had done, “So, I'll assume I'm not in shit for this.” Eva just grinned at him, “You aren't in trouble unless you shirk your duties, Joker, and somehow I don't think that you would do anything to jeopardize you being on this ship.” She placed her artificial hand on his shoulder, and the pilot visibly gulped having heard of what the appendage had done to Udina's desk, her eyes boring into his with a death like stare as her voice came out as a threatening whisper, “But, understand one thing, you put anyone in danger because you are not at your best, I'll turn these bones of yours to dust.”

 

And as she lifted her hand from his shoulder it was like it had never happened, no threatening look in her eyes, just an easy smile that she had on her face whenever she wandered up to the bridge. “Jacqueline, with me.”

 

The tattooed biotic groaned, but she hopped off the crate she had been perched on to follow the Spectre. Leaning against one side of the lift as it began to ascend to the crew deck, “Sup, boss lady.”

 

“Chakwas needs to see you for another appointment.”

 

The younger woman didn't even bother to hide her annoyance, audibly groaning like a child who had been told they had to take a bath, “How many times does she need to poke me to figure out that I'm fine,” at the blonde's quirked eyebrow the biotic smirked, “Physically at least.”

 

As the lift continued to slowly climb the blonde let a smirk play across her lips, and Jack knew that it had something to do with her, “What the hell do you think is so funny?”

 

“Hmm, oh, nothing, nothing at all.” Which of course meant that there was something, and Evalyn knew that Jack would need to know what it was.

 

“Cut off the schoolyard bullshit, Shep.” The almost whining tone caused the Spectre to chuckle, and deciding to be nice she flashed the former fugitive another grin, “You and Kaidan seem to be attached to the hip recently.”

 

And for the rest of her life she would never forget the blush that Jack attempted to hide, mumbling in response,“Don't know what you're talking about.”

 

Evalyn just laughed as the doors opened and Jack basically dashed to the med-bay, causing the Asari she had nearly bowled over to look quizzically at the blonde, “What did you do, Evalyn?”

 

A look of mock hurt swept across the human's features, “Me? I'm completely innocent of any wrongdoing here.” Liara's eyes rolled in annoyance, “Right, I often expect to see Jack fleeing from you blushing like a maiden.”

 

A smirk quirked at the Commander's lips, “Hmm, I don't think she was blushing as much as a maiden, though I suppose I could test that.”

 

Liara's glare stopped her joking, “Fine, I was just teasing her a little about Kaidan, nothing big.”

 

“You? Teasing?” Eva let out a small laugh, “Jacqueline's like the little sister I never had, so it's alright for me to tease her now and then.” She reached out to squeeze Liara's hand briefly before moving towards the med-bay as well, calling over her shoulder, “I better make sure she hasn't tried to squeeze into a maintenance vent to avoid this checkup. Then it's down to do a dustball of a planet to do that favor for Hackett.”

 

“Be careful down there, Evalyn.” The blonde glanced over her shoulder, “Aren't I always?”

 

Liara for her part just starred after the Spectre, only letting out a sigh as the med-bay door blocked her from view, “No, no you're not.”

 

S&S

 

Anderson sat in front of the terminal, conversing with Kahlee Sanders' flickering image on the screen, “Really, Kahlee, getting the clearance for your Asari wasn't a problem. But you're sure you can trust her?”

 

Kahlee gave a shake of her head, “No, but I don't really have a lot of options here, I need someone that I know isn't in Cerberus' pocket, and well Aria T'Loak's estranged daughter seems like a pretty safe bet.” David had to give her some leverage there, “Yes, but do you trust her with the kids, I mean she needs to sell the story you two are fabricating for her.”

 

A smile crossed Kahlee's lips at Anderson's worrying, “Don't worry, David, I've got it under control. If I didn't know any better a girl might think you're still interested.”

 

Despite the fact that the two of them had drifted apart it was hard to deny the fact there was still the attraction, and David's sad smile seemed to agree with her feelings, “And if I was?”

 

She sighed, “I'd be flattered, very flattered, but we both know that nothing would ever be able to come of it. We're both too married to our posts, I can't give up these kids, and you have,” she paused for a moment, “What exactly are you doing right now?”

 

David gave out a dark chuckle, “I'm stuck being Udina's liaison, and supposedly handling the next Spectre candidate, haven't even met them yet.”

 

A dull chime filled the office causing David to look away from the screen, and Kahlee used it to gracefully exit the conversation, “It was good talking to you, David, bye.” David's expression softened as he turned back to look at the screen, “Goodbye, Kahlee.”

 

As the screen flicked back to the SA flag he used as a background he tapped a command on the terminal to open the door, admitting the figure of Rachel Gates as she stepped inside, glancing around the sparsely appointed office that Udina had granted for him to use.

 

“Come in, Lieutenant.” The rather small woman entered the room, her hair was standard military length, though her bangs were long enough to sweep down one side of her face, she came to attention once the door shut behind her, “Lieutenant Rachel Gates, reporting as ordered, Captain.”

 

Anderson waved to a chair in front of his desk, “Have a seat, Gates.”

 

She dropped her salute and advanced to the indicated seat, “Yes, Sir.”

 

As soon as she was situated Anderson fixed his gaze on her, “I'm aware that you know why you are here.” Gates' face flickered with confusion, and something else, “Sir? I was only told to report to you.” And Anderson could only nod at that statement, “True, as far as it goes. But that doesn't mean you don't know why, you, are here.”

 

It took a few moments for Gates to nod, dropping her charade, “Yes, Sir, I know why I'm here.”

 

Anderson just nodded, “Good, saves me some time. I don't agree with whatever it is you are doing with the Broker, but people who get paid more than I do have decided to let it go, especially since your new friend has agreed to send us intel free of charge, so it seems my hands are tied as far as that goes.”

 

He pulled out a datapad from one of the desk's compartments, “You're mentor is going to be a Salarian, Enann Izon, he's currently overseeing the Council's investigation into Cerberus and they felt that it was a good way for you to get you're feet wet.” He of course didn't mention that the Broker had requested that she be partnered with Izon, likely so that the brokerage could get their mitts on whatever it was that Cerberus was up to.

 

Gates studied the datapad in front of her, “What kind of person is this Spectre?” And Anderson could honestly only shrug in response, “I've never met him, he's former STG which isn't that uncommon for a Salarian Spectre. He's never drawn attention to himself, so he's either an exceptionally skilled operative, or he's more of a support specialist.”

 

Rachel nodded once, her thin lips pressed tightly together, “So how exactly is this going to work? Do I go back to my regular duties until I'm contacted? Or what is the exactly plan.”

 

As if summoned the datapad in her hands beeped, _Meet at the Sirta Office in Zakera Ward, QAP._

 

She blinked a few times, unsure of both the acronym and if this had been set up in advance, at least until it beeped for a second time, _Quick as Possible._ Frowning at the pad she slid out of her seat the pad beeping for a third time as she did, _Should pick up gear, could be dangerous._

 

Anderson raised an eyebrow at her, but from his nonchalance she assumed that he had been at least somewhat aware of what was to come. “Good hunting, Lieutenant.”

 

She snapped off a quick salute, “Thank you, Captain.” And quickly left the room, grabbing one of the vehicles from the Alliance motor pool on her way out.

 

The moment she had slipped into one of the numerous traffic lanes she triggered the program that Cloak had given her, disabling all the bugs that were no doubt installed in the vehicle, and with that taken care of she initiated a call to the alien who was nominally her handler.

 

“ _Rachel, what a pleasant surprise for you to take the initiative, and contact me. I knew that you would come around.”_ She grit her teeth at his false niceties but kept her voice stable as she spoke, “Anderson just confirmed that Izon is going to be my mentor, I'm swinging by to pick up my gear now.”

 

She could practically hear the self-satisfaction in his voice when he spoke again, _“Excellent, and I left you a little congratulatory gift, I'm certain that you will like it.”_ And despite her best judgment she was certain that she would like it, because that was how they got you after all.

 

She pulled the skycar on to the landing pad of her newly gained apartment, apparently the brokerage had managed to make the acquisition avoid any red flags that it should have, the benefits of having Barla Von on the payroll it seemed.

 

She slid out of the still opening door, and made her way across the small but stylish garden, she always loved plants, and they had done their research in gathering her favorite flowers and trees, there were even a few tomato plants tucked in near the doors.

 

She slid in through the automatic doors that let her inside the apartment proper, her boots clicking against the wood flooring as she made her way to what she was increasingly referring to as her 'trophy room.'

 

Already on display was the suit she had worn on the last job, and once again in the middle of the floor was another crate that she was certain contained the gift Cloak had mentioned.

 

She bent down and found the latches to be in the same places as last time, and with a grunt of effort shoved the lid off of the crate, revealing a suit of light armor and a weapon that was absolutely gigantic.

 

“What the hell is this thing.” She spoke out loud for both her benefit, and because she knew that Cloak was no doubt listening in as well. Which was soon confirmed as his voice came in over the room's speakers, _“That my, dear, is a Widow. A Geth variant of an old Quarian design, capable of punching through any armor plating you will find on the ground. This model has been modified for your personal use, after all it would be somewhat awkward for you to shatter your shoulder once you fired it.”_

 

“ _Now if you turn your attention to the suit.”_ Gates carefully set down the Widow as she pulled the light armor from the crate, it was lacking even the most basic of ceramic plating, instead being essentially a solid layer over the standard armor mesh. _“Now I realize it appears to be somewhat, plain, but appearances can be deceiving. This armor is the first prototype stealth armor, we borrowed the schematics from a Sur'Kesh laboratory.”_

 

She set the suit down on top of a nearby table, and as she turned to see if there was anyone else in the crate found her eyes being drawn back to the suit, which had taken on the appearance of the table underneath. _“As you have just discovered the suit can blend in to its environment, now this of course requires you to be near something to blend in, but I'm certain that it will be handy in the future.”_

 

She let a smirk play out on her lips at the option that this left open, before Cloak's voice once again interrupted her, _“Oh right, one last thing. That suit also comes equipped with the same grapples as your last suit, so do try and have some fun with Izon, my dear.”_

 

With a sigh she pulled on the suit she had just been supplied with, a pretty easy task given that it was essentially just the first step of what she would normally have to do when armoring up. She attached the rifle at an angle across her back as the thing was gigantic on her small frame, before finally grabbing two smaller Tempests which she clipped on to her hips, a row of thermal clips circling her waist in concealed pouches.

 

As she exited back on to her roof she found that the vehicle she had taken had disappeared, and now in its place was a sleek black vehicle, no doubt yet another perk.

 

And as she slipped into the vehicle she cursed herself that it was working.

 

S&S

 

The Mako's tires dug into the soil of Agebinium, the soil's color was washed out entirely by the Amazon, the red giant that the planet circled, coating the entire day side of the planet in a red filter. Jacqueline had her feet propped up on the console as she lounged in the passenger seat, while Chief Riley and Garrus sat silently in the back, the Turian idly tweaking his scope, something that was either from habit or nervousness, she wasn't sure yet.

 

“The Probe's transponder is coming from near an old mining complex, we couldn't get a great fix on it but the site looked deserted from our initial scan. I'm not expecting much activity out here, Amazon doesn't get enough traffic for pirates to want to set up shop around here.”

 

She slowed the Mako as they approached what looked to be an auxiliary entrance to the mining complex a frown crossing her features, “Chief, you getting a better read on that probe?”

 

The Chief's arm was covered in the glow of his omni, and she swore the man looked like he wanted to hit it to make it work, “It's here, blasted thing must be in the mine, only thing to explain the interference.”

 

Garrus perked his head up, “So, trap?”

 

Evalyn just growled into her helmet, she didn't need people pointing out the perfectly obvious to her, “Okay, we're going in.”

 

They piled out of the back of the Mako, Garrus taking point with her while Reilly brought up the rear, Jack slid into the middle of the group, machine pistol in her grip. The mine doors groaned as she hacked them open, making her certain that they hadn't been used recently.

 

Garrus noticed that too, “If the probe is down there it wasn't brought in from this entrance.” She nodded, “Everyone keep an eye out for drag marks, they had to move that thing somewhere in here.”

 

A orange glow flickered behind her as Reilly checked his omni again, “Signal's getting stronger, still no fix on it.”

 

“Keep it on it, Chief, let me know if anything changes.” The man's grunt was her only acknowledgment but it was enough.

 

The small group made their way deeper into the complex, finally coming to a crossroads, “Shit, over there, Shep.” Evalyn's eyes tracked where Jack had pointed to, and there was a trio of furrows carved into the dirt where something very heavy had been dragged through the room and down one of the tunnels that led further into the complex.

 

Reilly held his arm up in the same direction, and gave her a nod to confirm that the signal was coming from that direction. “Alright, keep a look out everyone.”

 

And as they reached the bottom of the tunnel a door slammed shut behind them, as both the bomb and a holo projector booted to life.

 

Jack tilted her head at her, “So, it was a trap?”

 

The Spectre's exasperation was obvious, “Yes, Jacqueline, it was.”

 

She motioned for Reilly to start to work on the bomb, while she stepped towards the projector, drawing a smirk from the Turian in the field. “I was hoping to catch Rachel Gates with this trap, but if I kill humanities first Spectre, well that will more than repair my reputation in the Terminus systems.”

 

She let out a sigh, “Elanos Haliat, one of the few pirates to have pissed off Aria yet still operate in Terminus space, launched a highly expensive but failed raid on the human world of Elysium in 2176, and has proceeded to lick his wounds in backwater worlds ever since. I'm not terribly impressed.”

 

A small clunk sounded as Reilly ripped out a component of the bomb, holding up two fingers to indicate that he still had another two triggers to go.

 

The Turian who hadn't heard the sound just sneered at her, “I did what Aria refused to do, what she is too weak to do, I took the offensive to make sure you upstarts don't think you can take what doesn't belong to you.” Garrus scoffed behind her, “Rich from a pirate.” Which caused Eva's lips to twitch under her helmet.

 

She gestured widely, “So this was your grand plan for a comeback, activate a beacon and hope that the Alliance sends someone important? Seems like a lot of effort for a plan that could very well not work, I mean what would have happened had they simply sent down a couple of engineers, but then again you seem to forget a valuable lesson every time you deal with us.”

 

The Turian frowned, “And what is that?”

 

“Don't try to use our own technology against us.” The Turian's eyes flashed with understanding, as he spun and barked something at a person she couldn't see, and by the time he had turned back around Reilly was standing next to her with the last trigger bouncing in his hand.

 

“Please tell me that we're going to kick his sorry ass, Ma'am.” She couldn't help but resist a chuckle at that, “Yep.”

 

She waved everyone forward, “We head back to the Mako, then we'll find Haliat. His signal was coming from somewhere nearby, likely where they dragged the probe in from.” She waved her hand at the door overriding the safeties that had been triggered, but as the door opened a series of dull thuds came from ahead of them, forcing her into a run.

 

She skidded to a halt as she caught sight of the room, finding the tunnel they had entered from now blocked with debris, though Garrus just tilted his head in confusion, “Why would they just cut off our escape route, surely they could have simply blown the tunnel we were just in.”

 

Jack's voice came from behind him, it was quiet but steady, “He's a pirate, needs to prove that he's the boss. Now that his clever trap didn't work he needs to kill us, otherwise it looks like he fucked up. How it works for them, the biggest scumbag always needs to make sure everyone else knows who's in charge, survival of the fittest.”

 

Eva frowned as she turned her armored head at the girl, “Jacqueline, you okay.” She got a small, but firm nod, so she dropped it.

 

“She's right, so get ready for a fight, he's not going to have brought anything but his best and pirates are a pain in the ass to fight at the best of times.”

 

They followed the trail the probe had left in its wake, until they came to a door that she knew had to be the exit from the scouting pass the Normandy had flown, “Alright, just because he needs to fight us doesn't mean that they won't try to snipe us the moment this door opens. Jacqueline, can you give me a barrier the moment that door opens, you'll need to keep it up until we get close enough to engage.”

 

“Ya, I can handle it, one thing Cerberus ever fucking did right.” Evalyn gave her a nod before turning to Garrus, “I want you to hang back and wait for them to get fixed on us, then set up by the door and take out their snipers.”

 

Reilly was already checking his guns, before glancing up at her patting the turret strapped to his back, “We've got your back, Ma'am.”

 

She nodded and ignited the omni shield over her right arm, fingering the trigger of her rifle with her left as she nodded to Jack who quickly brought forward a biotic barrier with a gesture and a thought.

 

Shepard triggered the door, and as soon as the trio crested over the hill a quartet of rounds slammed into Jack's barrier, though none penetrated. She took in the situation at the glance, what she had thought to be an abandoned mining camp turned out to have been a staging ground disguised to be such, “Everyone down the hill, we need to get out of those sniper's sights!”

 

She had to keep herself at pace behind Jack as they slid down the hill in the loose soil, though two of the next round of shots did penetrate, showing that at least a few pirates had brought alternate ammunition types. Jack flinched when one shot nicked her pauldron, “Almost there, Jacqueline, then you can fuck shit up as much as you like.”

 

A crack filled the air that she knew belonged the Garrus, and her cybernetic eye narrowed on one of the snipers who now slumped backwards, “Nice shot, Detective.”

 

Whatever reply he may have had was lost as they entered firing distance of the camp, Reilly disengaged the already deploying turret from his back as he slammed into one of the old ore containers, the shotgun in his hands held at the ready for the first idiot to walk into his range.

 

Jack and Evalyn both slammed into the same conveyor belt for cover, the biotic's chest was heaving from the sustained exertion of the barrier, Eva signaled for her to flank right as she rolled out of cover, coming up in a crouch in the middle of a gap between work stations.

 

She advanced slowly, using her shield to deflect shots away from her as Reilly and Jack advanced on either side of her, they eliminated several pirates as they advanced, but none that were Haliat or the type of bodyguards she expected him to have.

 

Reilly's turret actually took out one of the snipers who had tried to flee the fight, while Garrus had eliminated the surviving two, and so the three humans ended up in the middle of the camp as the Spectre looked around confused, “That signal came from nearby, so where the hell is he?”

 

The answer came as the world collapsed around them, and from Garrus' perspective it looked like the world had just opened up and swallowed them, leaving nothing behind but a massive hole in the ground, Reilly's turret sitting right at the very edge.

 

Shepard would forever be thankful for that turret, as it had begun firing on the collective pirates that had been waiting below in wait for them the moment its targeting software spotted them, buying the trio the precious time to recover.

 

A blue flare filled the room as Jack's scream filled the room, “I'm going to destroy you bitches!” And a series of destructive biotics fields lanced forwards from her position into a bunch of pirates charging out of a nearby tunnel. The strength of the field, plus the tight proximity of the tunnel literally turning them to pulp.

 

Shepard meanwhile shoved a piece of debris off of her she idly noted that she had once again lost her damn rifle, that train of thought though was interrupted as her reflexes kicked in causing her to roll out of the way of what appeared to be an axe that buried itself next to her head, and she honestly couldn't say that she was surprised when she found her pistol aimed at the armored head of a Krogan, “What is it with people and not using guns?”

 

She fired directly into the Krogan's helmet, but even her pistol rounds found themselves being deflected off of armor that was likely more at home on a cruiser than a battlesuit. If she had been fighting a sensible enemy she would have already been dead, or at least seriously injured, but as she was fighting an, literally, axe crazy Krogan she was able to throw her now unencumbered form out of another wild swing.

 

As the Krogan pulled back for another swing it was at that point that Reilly's turret zeroed in on him, a hail of heavy accelerator rounds raked across the reptiles body, until with a sudden puff of smoke the stabilizer on the right side failed causing the weapon's aim to skew away from the now enraged pirate.

 

“I told you to fix that stabilizer!” Reilly who was busy slamming his armored boot into one combatants chest yelled over the clamor, “I did ya bleeding, harpy,” before punctuating his remark by firing his shotgun point blank into the now prone pirate's face.

 

Shepard swung herself to her feet, grumbling under her breath, “I'm sure you did, lazy freaking bastard.” Twisting her body to avoid the swing she hit the weapon itself with a biotic field, raising it's mass exponentially. Which she followed up with a strike from her right arm, now encased in an omni blade, right on top of the weapon's handle leaving the Krogan left with nothing but a piece of metal pipe to defend himself with.

 

Before she could dispatch him however several shots from the lip of the crater rang out, all of them sinking into the Krogan's already weakened helmet, _“Got him for ya, Shepard.”_

 

“I had it under control, Detective!” But she had to admit that his aim had been true as the Krogan appeared to actually be staying dead, she'd have to compare notes with him later on dealing with the aggravatingly durable species.

 

Reilly bit out a curse as he was forced to take cover, and it was his shout that led to her spotting Elias entering the field.

 

Haliat was wearing a heavy suit of Turian armor like she had expected, his body covered in both guns, knives, and several bandoleers of thermal clips. All of which helped him not at all when Jack slammed a biotic field into him, punting him across the room by manipulating the galaxy's fifth force.

 

“Fuck you, dickhead!”

 

And regardless of how much armor you were wearing, slamming headfirst into a wall while being propelled frictionlessly through the air tended to cut one's life expectancy pretty short. Shepard waved a hand at the now prone body of the former pirate leader, “Garrus, we're going to make our way up to you, keep an eye out for reinforcements.”

 

“ _Alright, Shepard. I caught a few guys who popped out of a hatch up here already, my best guess would be for you to take the tunnel that Elias came out of.”_

 

She hummed into her mic as a response as she fished her rifle out of the debris field, signaling for Jack and Reilly to form up behind her, noting that Jack was limping somewhat, while Reilly had a gash in his forearm that he had sloppily sealed with medi-gel.

 

She ripped whatever data she could from the pirates databanks as she moved through their little command center, though she was honestly somewhat disappointed with what she found. Elias had fallen exceedingly far from his former lofty station, indeed the Batarian's who had financed his efforts in human space had entirely cut ties with the pirate. This operation was not some staging ground for a new Blitz, but was instead the last sad dying gasp of the previous conflict.

 

Finally they found the hatch Garrus had spoken of, and entered once more into the crimson hellscape that was Agebinium. Reilly moved over to collect his turret, while she and Jack made their way to Garrus, “Detective, mind making sure that Haliat is dead for me.”

 

The Turian glanced at her before making a visible shrugging motion as he readied his rifle, a duo of retorts soon followed, only for that to be joined as a series of explosives linked to a dead man's switch triggered. Engulfing both the crater, and the pirate's command center in a firestorm.

 

Jack made a low whistle, “Bitch didn't play fair, did he?”

 

Shepard just shook her head, “Why I hate fighting pirates, always have to have the last laugh.” 

 

She shipped her rifle on to her back as Reilly made to join them, “Alright, I'll call Joker and let him know where we are, we'll swing by and pickup the Mako after he picks us up.”

 

S&S

 

“The probe has been disabled and the site secured, you should probably send a team out here though to secure the evidence before scavengers notice the site.”

 

_Hackett's image nodded in agreement, “That's good news, Shepard. The Council likely would have tried to ring some concession out of us had they discovered the probe. I assume you found out how it got there?”_

 

She nodded, “A Turian pirate Elias Haliat had it smuggled out of Hierarchy space, from the probe's records it had been compromised soon after it was launched which was why the failsafe didn't activate it until Elias' men reactivated it.”

 

“ _Seems like a lot of effort for a pirate to go through, he must have had some goal he was trying to accomplish.”_

 

“Haliat was the primary motivator behind the Blitz, when that attack failed he lost most of his prestige, this was his attempt at a comeback, one last ditch effort to try and win back some respect.” She failed at suppressing a yawn that emerged from her, “Apologies, Sir. But it has been a very long day.”

 

_The Admiral gave her a small smile, “None needed, Shepard. Pass along my thanks to your crew will you.”_

 

“Of course, Admiral.” With that she ended the conference, turning to look at Garrus who was leaning against the railing in the back, “I trust that you will keep what you just witnessed to yourself, Detective.”

 

Garrus pushed himself off the railing, his avian eyes searching her for, something, before he gave a small nod. She made to leave the room but was stopped by the Turian's voice, “Can I have a moment of your time, Spectre?”

 

She turned, nodding as she did which encouraged him to begin, “I'm not a good Turian, a good Turian obeys his orders, follows the law.” He sighed, “But when the law gets in the way of helping people, I just don't get why is it the wrong thing to take matters into your own hands.”

 

He tapped his omni, bringing up a grainy mugshot of a Salarian, “This was Dr. Saleon, a piece of shit if there ever was one, he was an organ cloner likec to stash his product inside of the downtrodden on the Citadel. We only stumbled on him by mistake when we brought in one of his mules on an unrelated charge,” he paused as if replaying the events in his head, “So we bring him in, but we can't make anything stick so The Executor makes the call, and he walks. The idea being that we can just trace his movements afterwards, gather more evidence, do things the 'right' way.”

 

Garrus' talons curled together, “But the bastard gets to a ship, and takes hostages. I tell them to fire, because by now I've seen enough of his work, and I know, I know in my bones that we are only ever going to see those hostages again when we are putting them in the morgue. But Pallin makes the call again, lets him go, and sure enough over the course of the next few months we find every single one of them, all dead.”

 

Quiet hung in the air for a while, before he spoke again, “I'd like to try and track this bastard down, and I'd like your help once I do find him.”

 

Shepard gave a small nod, “Certainly, Garrus. Just let me know if you need access to any Spectre databases, I can set you up with a temporary pass if it will help.”

 

Garrus gave a relieved breath, “Thank you, Spectre, I was worried that you'd say no.”

 

“Think nothing of it, Garrus. Justice sometimes isn't as pretty as we like it to be.” Avian eyes blinked a few times before they hardened a little, “And, Shepard, one last thing. When we do find him, it's my call what happens to him.”

 

“Alright, Garrus. Just remember your call, your consequences.”

 

“I will.” He made to follow her lead and exit the room before he paused one last time, “And thank you once again, this won't help his victims, but at least I might sleep easier knowing that he won't be out there adding to his body count.”

 

She continued to walk forward, but talked as she did, “Nihlus had a sure fire way to deal with those doubts.” And while she didn't see the tilt of his head, she knew the Turian was looking at her with curiosity, “Oh, and what was this miracle cure?”

 

“Getting wasted, and sleeping with a crass woman.” Garrus chuckled at that, “I might be able to go for the first one, but well I'm a little limited with option two on this ship.”

 

Shepard chuckled darkly to herself as they passed into the C.I.C, “Garrus, if you proposition Ashley I will keep you swimming in booze for the rest of your life, as long as you take pictures.”

 

Garrus smirked at her, “Wouldn't I have to be alive to take advantage of that offer? Somehow I don't think I would make it.” She shot him her own predatory smirk, “Well, offer is always there if you want it. Just, sleep on it.”

 

As she was walking away Garrus could hear her telling the V.I to send Kaidan to her quarters, before he began to make the journey back down to the cargo hold, chuckling a little at the Spectre's suggestion as he went.

 

S&S

 

Gates growled as she found herself checking the clock in the dash for the ninth time, only to discover that time was still moving at an exceptionally slow rate. She was about to leave when the passenger door suddenly opened, and her pistol was aimed squarely into the face of a smirking Salarian.

 

A Spectre medallion flashed in his hand momentarily before he began speaking,“Gates, Izon. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.” His eyes focused in on the barrel of the gun aimed at him, “Tempest? Bit, unrefined for someone of your, reputation.” He wasn't the fastest speaking Salarian she had known, but he definitely wasn't talking slow either, he gestured for her to follow him as he exited out of the vehicle.

 

The Salarian was wearing what looked to be his species variant of a private detective look, but at least it made him easy to track as he moved toward a building that was on a different block from the Sirta building, a channel for air-cars separating them, with only handful of walkways to cross over to the other side.

 

He walked up to an access panel, and after a few seconds the door beeped and swung open, “Proceed on to roof, and await my orders. Ocular implant will transmit to your HUD if you wish to watch, you may learn something.”

 

Before she could respond he took off again, leaving her with little option but to ascend to the top of the building, crouching once she did as she made her way to the edge, unsure if she was here to provide cover fire for the Salarian.

 

“ _Sniper position is on north-east corner, enough room to lie down for perfect angle.”_ She glanced and spotted the location he was talking about, and as she settled down she watched with some fascination as her armor shimmered and mimicked the surface below, only to become utterly enthralled when she watched the rifle in her hands to likewise.

 

She was literally running her hands over the weapon in appreciation when Izon began to talk again,  _“There is a mark on the building's western side, that is your target.”_

 

She frowned as she scanned the building, but soon enough she found the minuscule mark that she had to assume was her target, “I have it.”

 

“ _Excellent, wait for my signal.”_ And with that she found herself just a passenger watching as the Salarian entered into the Sirta buidling.

 

With a surprising degree of subtlety the Salarian shed the large coat he had been wearing, laying it casually across one of the many chairs in the lobby, revealing that he had been wearing a Salarian style lab coat underneath. And with a deft bit of bump and grab snagged himself an ID off of one of the few Salarian employees milling about, along with a pair of omni-glasses that a human had lying on the table next to him.

 

While most human's didn't need glasses any more, plenty still used them for the ability to review files from their omni's in more privacy, plus designer glasses were in the vogue right now.

 

“ _Glasses use biometrics to ensure security, means that retina scan is saved in memory. Small bit of trickery and glasses can be used to project saved image, useful in a pinch, or when ripping out an eyeball not an option.”_

 

“Shouldn't you be not talking out loud about this?” Izon chuckled a little at that, _“No one notices a Salarian talking to themselves. And done.”_ The door smoothly opened as the Salarian tucked the glasses into a small pocket on the inside of his coat, not wanting anyone to question why a Salarian was walking around with human glasses in his pocket, or any glasses for that matter, Salarian's had never needed corrective lenses in their species history.

 

The Salarian snagged a datapad lying on a nearby desk, and made himself look very busy as he muttered unintelligibly to himself as he made his way towards his destination. Until finally he found himself standing in front of the facilities main server room, and a very unfriendly looking guard as well.

 

Gates could hear the tinny voice of the guard, _“Can I help you? This area is off-limits to the science team, executives only.”_ She could tell that the Salarian had tilted his head from the way her camera moved, _“No help needed, I'm just waiting for a friend.”_

 

Before the guard could respond her finger tapped the trigger, and she bit out a curse as the recoil slammed into her arm, but she also noted that the guard slumped downwards, only to be caught and dragged away into a nearby storage closet by the Spectre. _“Glad to see that the superstructure lowered the rounds kinetic energy, worried that his head might have exploded, much bigger mess to clean up then.”_

 

Satisfied that the guard was hidden for the moment the Spectre returned to the now blood stained wall, to which he pulled out some strange cloth that seemed to just absorb all of the blood, _“Developed by STG to handle, cleanup. Very effective, I can get you some if you like.”_

 

She shook her head even though she knew he couldn't see her, “I'm good, thanks.” With his last obstacle out of the way the Salarian's omni flashed against the lock, causing the door to slide open freely, and after just a few moments he was out again, though now he had an OSD tucked into one of his pockets.

 

She was honestly a little impressed as he made his way outside of the building, even grabbing his coat on the way out.

 

“ _Rendezvous at your vehicle, attempt to draw as little attention as a person carrying a weapon as tall as they are can.”_ And with that his feed cut off, leaving her to slowly make her way down the street to her vehicle, and as she settled down in the driver seat she noticed an OSD now seated next to her. 

 

“ _A copy for your patron, next time we will see what you really can do.”_

 

She frowned, and decided to ask a question that had been nagging her since he entered the building, “What about security footage? Surely they saw the guard get shot.”

 

“ _Shepard designed virus uploaded the moment I arrived in the area, takes them roughly eighty minutes to purge from their systems, more if they are incompetent. Knew that if security camera's down, then they would need to have a physical presence guarding data, thus your part in this. Like I said, nice shot.”_

 

“You didn't say nice shot.” There was a somewhat long pause, _“Oh, well, nice shot.”_

 

S&S

 

Kaidan entered her room looking like he had been summoned to the Principle's office, which just earned a dark laugh from the blonde sitting on her bed, she gestured to the chair, “Have a seat, Lieutenant.”

 

Kaidan gulped visibly as he sat down, glancing up to look at her directly, “Ma'am, I'm sorry for earlier today. I should have shut it down before you had to get involved.” She sighed, but gave a small nod, “Yes, you should have, but that isn't why I called you up here.”

 

She let out a deep sigh, “Despite how long I've known her for, Jacqueline and I have an, odd, relationship, at the best of times. And seeing as how you appear to be the only person on this boat other than myself, and maybe Chakwas that she somewhat trusts, I wanted your opinion on some news I have just been told.”

 

Kaidan frowned, “News, Ma'am.” Which earned a hum of agreement from the Commander, “Yes, the Alliance has apparently located her remaining family, her mother and a half-sister. For the life of me I have no idea of how to handle this situation.”

 

Kaidan leaned back in the chair, “A few of the kids in Brain Camp were orphan's, Conatix preferred them because they knew that there would be no one asking about them if something went wrong. They tended to be the one's who really let themselves get absorbed by the training, saw their biotics as a something that gave them value.” He shook his head, “You take that drive, combine it with someone who is emotionally unstable, and well you can never tell if they are going to be okay, or if they are going to threaten the structural integrity of a room.”

 

He sighed, “I realize that she went through a lot worse than Brain Camp, but I can see the similarities. But I suppose the question is what exactly are we talking about here? Are we going to land on Arcturus and she's going to get swarmed, or is this just letting her know that she does indeed have family out there?”

 

Evalyn shook her head, “I honestly can't give you an answer to that, I have to assume it is part of a longer term plan to get Jack to stay put with the SA. She'd be a hell of an asset once some of her rough edges have been sanded away.”

 

Kadian gave a somewhat distracted nod, which caused a smirk to cross Evalyn's lips, but she didn't push him on it. Frankly she didn't really give a damn about Alliance regs, and if Jack and Kaidan somehow became a thing then the SA could figure it out after they survived Saren.

 

“So, do you think that if I tell her now she'll be able to deal with it? I can't really afford for her to have a meltdown on the ship.”

 

Silence reigned in the small cabin for some time before brown eyes met the Commander's, “Why don't we both tell her, I managed to calm her down on the Citadel using some old Baat tricks, and having another friendly face couldn't hurt.”

 

The Spectre groaned, “Now or never I suppose, V.I can you please ask Jacqueline to join us in my cabin.”

 

A light tone played that indicated the message had been received, and it wasn't long before the door opened as Jack limped inside the door, several med patches on her leg restricting her movement as it healed a shrapnel wound she had sustained on the planet.

 

“Shit, did someone die?”

 

Shepard gave a small scoff, but shook her head to indicate that no, no one had indeed died. Jack simply shrugged and hopped on the edge of the Spectre's desk, wincing a little as her leg banged against the side.

 

“Jacqueline the SA has contacted me with some information, its about you.”

 

Jack's eyes widened, “If this is about that tank, I swear the keys were already in it when I found it.” That statement caused the other two participants to look at her in confusion, and actually managed to fluster the blonde, “What? No! What tank, Jacqueline?!”

 

Kaidan who had kept his wits marginally better than the Commander calmly took control of the conversation, “No, Jack. The information involved is something that you likely don't even know yourself.”

 

That statement caused the tattooed woman to glance warily at her two superiors, “Okay, nice and fucking ominous, so what the hell is it.”

 

Eva looked directly into the younger girl's face, “You're real name, is Jennifer Slavik.”

 

S&S

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit Song: Frontline by Pillar
> 
> Fun fact, despite the fact that Elias used a human model in ME 1 he was supposed to be Turian. That is also why he is the only guy on that planet not wearing a helmet, also why it looks like he has a monocle.
> 
> For the record I used the Czech variant of Slavik, I'm well aware that there are different variants of it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, just in case anyone has forgotten/gets confused if I say anything that contradicts anything from the original S&S this one trumps it. I'm going to be rewriting the original anyway so if anyone acts somewhat differently it is this variant that will be stuck to from now on. 
> 
> Hell back then I didn't even have Evalyn's character really fleshed out, I've even mapped out her personality type at this point.

S&S

 

A moment later Shepard may have realized she had fucked up, and that moment may have been when her cabin door found itself bouncing off the mess hall's bulkhead. Red emergency lighting filled the room as the ship's V.I automatically locked down each section in response to what it believed was a massive gravitational event, which Eva supposed was technically correct.

 

She cursed herself for not letting Kaidan take the lead there, he and Jack at least had some form of emotional connection thanks to their respective pasts. Not that Evalyn didn't have her own baggage, but emotions had never been her strong suit, she instead just made sure she could never be hurt the same way again. But that wasn't how most people worked, and she had been so caught up in how this news might effect Jacqueline's utility to the team she had forgotten to ask how it would also directly affect the woman herself.

 

Both Kaidan and herself skidded out into the hallway, noting the the mess table was now resting comfortably across the entrance to the sleeper pods, Shepard's shout carried across the room, “Jacqueline! Jack! You need to drop the field before it tears the ship apart!” But the figure inside the biotic corona didn't even turn its head toward her, Kaidan reached out to hold her back via her artificial arm, “Commander, I don't even think she realizes where she. I think if I can just get to her she might snap out of it.”

 

Shepard glanced at Kaidan, “Alright, then do it.” But she knew before he shook his head that it wasn't going to be that easy, “I need time to focus my biotics, and I don't think we have much.”

 

As though to prove his statement the floor and ceiling above Jack's form buckled outward with a screech of metal, the bulkheads giving ground as they lost the battle against the source of the gravitational anomoly, “I can buy you some time, but I have no idea how much.”

 

The blonde thrust forward her still flesh hand a blue corona swallowing her as she did so, she didn't have as much gas in the tank like say Kaidan or Liara did, but Shepard had a startling degree of control over her biotics, which she used to deftly manipulate her way through the enraged human's barriers.

 

And then all was silent as the stasis field formed around Jack, “I'll buy you as much time as you can, but I can't hold a stasis field for long.” And she wasn't joking, even using it momentarily would leave her feeling drained and exhausted, Kaidan in response gave her a grim nod and set his mind to, whatever the hell he was trying to do.

 

Evalyn for her part was trying very hard not to pass out, her own aura flickered as she dredged up whatever reserves of energy she had, and as she tasted iron on her tongue she figured her nose had started to bleed as well. Her body trembled with effort as her body ravaged itself for the energy to maintain the field but willpower can only get you so far, and finally with a scream of both effort and pain her own field collapsed, while Jack's was reborn as if it had never ended, which was how it would have felt to the younger human.

 

She tumbled to the ground heavily, though she did manage to keep her head up to see Kaidan shoving his way forward using his own barrier to shield himself from Jack's reactionary defense, he stumbled as reached the center, the lack of biotic force in the center of the field reminded Eva of a hurricane.

 

Jack though still hadn't moved, indeed Eva suspected that this was all just her triggered instinct to run to where she felt safest, which here would be the med-bay, though that route had been cut off by the emergency protocols. This field was likely just her acting on instinct to protect herself, and once again Evalyn cursed herself for being this fucking stupid.

 

Kaidan finally seemed to decide what he was doing, and slowly wrapped his arms around the girl, only to find himself flung across the room by a very potent biotic backhand from the startled biotic he had been trying to comfort.

 

“Kaidan!” Jack no longer in a daze dashed across the room, murmuring to herself, or perhaps the man whose skull she was checking for damage, that she was sorry. While Shepard tried to deactivate the emergency protocols before she passed out, she let out a small crow of victory as the med-bay door slid open revealing a very concerned doctor, and a different very pissed off doctor as well.

 

“Hey, Li.” The Asari glared at her as she helped her to her feet, the words from Liara's blue lips scolded her, “I told you to be careful.” Shepard laughed in response, though she coughed a little as some of the blood in her mouth caught on the back of her throat, “You only said to be careful on the planet.”

 

The blonde gave a small yelp of pain as Liara squeezed her still fleshy forearm with the opposite of gentleness as the Asari hissed at the human, “I expect you to be careful at all times, I expect you to grow old with me, and I expect you to give me blue babies, none of which you can do if explode your own brain because you are an idiot!”

 

And while the normal reaction to such an admission would be shock that Liara saw such a long term future for them, or make some glib remark to try and lighten the mood, Evalyn was not normal nor she supposed was her own quiet response, “I, understand. But first I, we, need to make it through this, and that means having everyone at their best.” Taking a glance around the room she groaned as Liara pulled her towards the med-bay, “I can't let what happened to Nihlus happen to me, happen to you.”

 

Liara's eyes burned into hers before a sad smile graced her lips, “I suppose that is the closest I'm going to get to a, I'm sorry.” Eva leaned her head into the blue shoulder next to her, “Yep.”

 

S&S

 

“Entering cruising speed, preliminary survey shows that the immediate sector is clear of activity. Orders, Ma'am?”

 

Miranda let out a sigh as she leaned against the console in front of her, “Send out our survey teams, make sure they attract attention we know that he is operating somewhere near here and I highly doubt that first ship that tried to accost us sent him a warning.”

 

Four systems, two and a half days of effort, and all they had to show for it was a single blown up pirate frigate and a couple of scorch marks on one of their 'borrowed' survey craft.

 

“Teams away, Ma'am, making lots of chatter.” She gave a small nod of acknowledgment while her eyes remained plastered on the sensor readings being projected on the display in front of her, she frowned when her eyes caught a subtle spike in one of the infrared readings before it blipped away again.

 

She tapped the display which sent a ping to her sensors officer, “Keep an eye on this quadrant, I suspect our target might be trying to use the inner asteroid belt as cover.

 

A sudden crackle filled the bridge as one of her teams out there started shouting into the priority channel, _“We've got hostiles, at least three frigates all using the gas giant for cover, markings look batarian.”_

 

She keyed into the comm system, “All teams this is a recall order,” she glanced over at her XO, a grizzled but competent ex-Alliance veteran known as Marcus, 'Mark,' Price, “Make it look like we are trying to run, keep all weapon systems hidden until our good Captain makes his move.”

 

The brown haired man glanced at her, “You sure that he's here? Lot of sectors that he could be operating out of.” She shot him a pointed look that told him exactly what he could do with his question before returning her gaze to the screen in front of her.

 

“Ma'am, survey teams 3 and 5 are on board, teams 1 and 2 are in our safety envelope, team 4 is in danger of being overrun by the enemy forces.” She waved a hand to switch her display to a tactical view of the ship, “Prep our core, make it look like we are charging for a jump, I can't see those pirates risk losing this ship in exchange for that glorified shuttle.”

 

“Aye, Ma'am, charging for jump.”

 

A trio of shots slammed across the bow of the Nova, and a guttural but judging from the accent batarian voice came across their speakers, _“Unknown vessel, you are now the property of the Hegemony, attempt to resist and you will be made to regret it.”_

 

She couldn't help but smirk when the lead frigate was struck with a salvo of high kinetic shells from the position she had pointed out earlier, the pirates not anticipating an attack from what they assumed was a civilian vessel hadn't even bothered to raise their shields, a state that they were hastily trying to rectify.

 

A second salvo struck the rearmost frigate in the loose wedge formation striking the engines, though judging by the angle of the damage dealt it seemed that Confressi had added at least a second ship to his little enterprise.

 

“Last of the four eyes is turning to run.” She glanced back at the display, noting that to continue chasing the batarians the pirate would have to bring himself within weapon range, she glanced at the weaponry officer, “Wait until Confressi's own ship is within our range, then take out that batarian frigate with the main guns. I want no one left alive except for our target.”

 

Moments passed until a noticeable tremor ran through the ship as the trio of cannons at the Nova's fore flared to life, obliterating the frigate with an impressive display of power. And she was quite sure that a man of such acclaimed cunning would be quick to note the numerous previously hidden guardian arrays that could shred the Captain's ship should he attempt anything particularly stupid.

 

She didn't even bother to hide the smugness from her voice as they transmitted to their prey, “Captain, I have a proposition that I'd like to discuss with you. I know that you are capable of piloting the shuttle on board your vessel so in a show of good faith I'd like you to come alone, and unarmed.”

 

There was silence on the line for several moments before a response came back, “I'd love to agree to your terms, but I'm afraid that they are rather impossible for me to fulfill.” Miranda thumbed off the transmitter so that she could utter out a groan without him hearing before speaking to the man once again, “What exactly makes my request impossible to fulfill, Captain?”

 

Her jaw tightened as the man actually laughed, “Well, the shuttle you mentioned, we sold it. Some of the lads got themselves locked up by what passes for a sheriff back on Flotsam and we had no cash on hand, fighting the good fight doesn't leave us a lot of overhead. So, we pawned it to some Volus dealer for the cash to spring my men, had to, it's in the articles.”

 

Miranda was beginning to realize she hated pirates more than she hated, well most other lowlifes, honestly the genetically engineered woman had a relatively poor opinion of most of society. She glanced at Mark, “Load up one of the survey ships with a boarding team, they'll bring the good captain over with them. Heavy armor and helmets, I don't intend on putting any faith in this man so let's not give him anything to identify us later.”

 

As he agreed wordlessly she began to talk to her counterpart once again, “We shall be sending a shuttle over, you are to board it unarmed as stated before, and by yourself. Attempt to take hostages, we will destroy your ship. Fail to board the shuttle, and we will destroy your ship.” Even before she had finished speaking she knew that the man was going to stupidly try and bluff his way out of this situation.

 

And so as he began to question her ability to actually follow through with her threat she signaled for the weapon's officer to target the ship flying consort with Confressi, and within moments several missiles streaked from the port side of the pocket dreadnought, the heavy ordinance quickly overwhelming the privateer vessel's barrier before continuing on to the hull itself. The end result was in moments the other ship was not only drifting out of control, but also venting atmosphere from numerous hull breaches.

 

Turning her attention back to the conversation at hand, “I'm sorry, you were saying something about me not going through with something?” She let a momentary pause hang before she injected as much indifference into her voice as was possible, “Get on the shuttle, or be shot down. The only reason you are alive is because you can be of use to me, and you are quickly convincing me that you are not worth the effort. Your choice, Captain.”

 

And as she disconnected the call she had a feeling that he wouldn't put up much of a fuss once her men arrived.

 

S&S

 

Both Jack and Shepard found themselves hooked up to IV's in the med-bay in order to stabilize them after expending so much resources in the respective displays of biotic force, Kaidan on the other hand had to be sequestered in the little cubby that Jack used as her quarters as he was currently suffering from one of his biotic induced migraines, and they couldn't very well turn the lights off in the med-bay for him.

 

Neither Jack, nor Shepard had spoken, but finally the Spectre sighed, “I'm willing to go on record and state that I fucked up back there. I know that you are probably pissed at me, but if you want to know anything about what the SA told me you just have to ask, if not that's fine too.”

 

Nothing was said for a while before Evalyn began to speak again, “I am sorry, I get so caught up in planning on how to make sure that we all make it through this alive that I forget that you all aren't just parts in a machine I'm building.” She chuckled a little at that, “I do better with machines, they are so much more simple than people, if something breaks in them you just replace a part, kind of like me I suppose.”

 

As she darkly chuckled at that she could hear a muttered retort, “How the fuck does blue stand you?” Eva let out a kinder laugh at that, “You have no idea how often I ask that, it helps I guess that we connect intellectually. First time I met her we talked about her theories for hours, it was nice.”

 

“Getting laid would have been nice too.” Eva grinned at the younger woman's comment, “Never said we just talked about theories, there was a practical portion to the exam as well.” And as she said that she made a note to erase this conversation from the V.I's memory.

 

The smaller woman's back was still turned away from her, but it wasn't hard to miss the confusion and pain that entered her voice, “Why did he do that?”

 

Shepard frowned unsure who this 'he' was, but she assumed it was Kaidan, “Do you mean the Lieutenant?” She heard a snort come from Jack, “Who the fuck else would I be talking about, shit I thought you were smart but today threw that idea out a window,” Shepard let out a huff of exasperation but Jack continued, “Then it got hit with a sky-car.”

 

“Are you done?” Her tone was moderated, but Eva had trouble hiding some anger from her voice, and after a few moments of silence she took it as agreement, “You're a marine under his command, and one of the things you have to understand is that we take care of our own, you're not alone here Jack, unless you want to be. Even then we'll probably be annoyingly close for comfort.”

 

“Then an Elcor stepped on it.” Eva closed her eyes as she tried one of Liara's mediation exercises, but that was interrupted by the whisper like statement that followed,“I do better when I'm alone, alone and lonely, that is how you don't get hurt,” Shepard wished she could make her way over to the biotic, but Chakwas had activated the bed's weight sensor and linked it to Liara's omni, and she did not need another telling off today. “Jacqueline, life is about getting hurt. I can't pretend that I understand everything that you've gone through, and I don't expect you to ever be anything that you aren't, but I'm here if you need me. Regardless of my inability to understand that people don't react to earth shattering news well.”

 

She could hear a shuffle as Jack rolled herself over to look at her, “Do you know if they found my family?”

 

Eva's eyes moved as she read the file that she had opened in her interface, “Your Mother is alive, and you have a half-sister, they are living out on one of the wildcats but the SA hasn't been able to track them down yet.” Silence yet again pervaded the room, but this time Evalyn was willing to do this right, not try and rip the bandage off like she had last time.

 

“What are their names?” Jack's voice was thick with more emotions than Evalyn could hope to guess, but that was to be expected she supposed.

 

“Natalie is your Mother's name, and your younger sister is called Emma. There was no Father listed on either of your records, but DNA records show that you have a different father from your Sister.”

 

The smaller girl opened and closed her mouth several times before she finally managed to get out the words, “Did they give me to Cerberus?” Eva mentally berated herself for missing such an obvious fear of Jack's, “No, your Mother was bringing you in for a checkup as a baby. Cerberus had numerous colony doctors faking the deaths of prospective biotic children. Following that your Mother moved out of Alliance space, blaming them for your death.”

 

A sob wracked the smaller girl, and Eva groaned as she sat up, Li could be as angry with her as she wanted later. Grasping on to the IV she used it to support her the few steps over to Jack's bed until she sat heavily down on the edge.

 

Gently she took Jack's hand in her own the same way her Mother had when she had awoken in the hospital following her Father's death. The sudden contact caused the other girl to suddenly tense before she literally threw herself at the older woman, Eva doing her best to keep the both of them from falling off while she attempted to comfort the biotic to the best of her ability.

 

“It's all right, I'm not going anywhere, at least until Liara barges in her and kills me for leaving me bed.” That earned a shaky laugh in between sobs, “Ya, she comes off as kind of intense.”

 

Eva hummed in agreement as she continued to hold the broken young woman, Jack had been through far too much in her brief time in the galaxy thus far, and Evalyn couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for what had happened to her.

 

Her own Mother had been Cerberus during Jacqueline's time with them, had she known about the experiments? And if so had she done anything to stop them? These were questions that she always wanted to ask, but they were also not wounds that she wanted to open if she was being truthful. But one day Evalyn was going to come clean to the broken human in her arms, and she would accept whatever reckoning came.

 

Because, she was a Shepard, and because it was the right thing to do.

 

S&S

 

Evalyn had held the biotic until she passed out from pure exhaustion, and deciding that since she was already in trouble with Liara she had made her way down to the cargo hold. The bay itself was mostly empty thanks to the fact that the ship was now in the middle of its night cycle, so she made her way over to vacated area where Ashley normally resided and began her own kind of emotional therapy.

 

She hadn't been kidding when she had stated she preferred machines, there was comfort to be had in the cold mechanical devices, and so she began to fabricate a new drone to make up for the loss of her last two.

 

The advent of those scout Geth would make the lighter drones she had previously relied upon ineffective, no use for scouts if they never gathered any intelligence. So this model would be heavier, but that meant that it would need stronger shielding to account for the lass of maneuverability.

 

She wasn't sure how long she was at work when Tali stumbled into the bay, attracted by the noise coming from the otherwise silent level, though Eva noted it had apparently been long enough for her to have assembled most of the octagonal drone's framework.

 

“Kee'Lah, Shepard, don't you ever sleep.” The human let a grin slip across her features, but the humor didn't reach her eyes, “Not unless I have to.”

 

Nodding lightly the Quarian padded up to her, “Building another drone? I thought you would have learned your lesson after the last two.” The humor in the engineer's voice caused the blonde to smile lightly, “I can be a little stubborn, plus I'd like to see your tech drones outfit themselves with an omni-shield.”

 

Tali sat herself down next to the human, picking up a piece of plating that the human had gotten frustrated at, “And this was?” Eva waved a hand dismissively at it, “Attempt at making a multi-missile generator, I mean the micro-foundaries in your drones can produce a singular missile so I was trying to multiply the scale. But the problem is that it's too much power though for our current level of miniaturization, I'll have to give it a few years for technology to catch up to me.” The blonde suddenly stopped as she glanced at the Quarian who was still studying it, “You don't happen to have any designs for an advanced power generator kicking around do you?”

 

“Nooo?” Shepard ignored the question lacing the statement, and instead just sighed, “Pity, guess I'm stuck waiting until I can nab someone with a specialty in that field.” The blonde pulled out a pair of phaestrom rifles that were sitting at the bottom of a nearby crate, “If you plan on staying would you mind stripping these of anything not critical.”

 

Tali shrugged and set one of the rifles down next to her while she placed the other in her lap, her deft fingers ripping off plating and components with practiced ease.

 

Eva light hummed to herself as she pulled shaped another panel for the drone's hull, before breaking the silence with a question, “Creation that you are proudest of.”

 

Tali didn't answer her right away, instead continued to silently and methodically work on stripping the first rifle to completion first. She slowly set down the now stripped rifle, and as she picked up the second one she spoke, “The last time I went on a patrol into the Veil, we landed on one of the old colony worlds to see if the Geth even bothered to keep a presence there. Of course we never thought that they would actually show up when we were in the colony itself, up until the point when a dropship took out our engines so we were forced to flee deeper into the colony for safety.”

 

She flicked the safety into the ever growing pile of components, “The colony was too narrow for them to send in any heavy units, so we only had to worry about the basic combat forms. But, well no Quarian honestly expects to run into the Geth, most of the time we just do it as a way to reassure ourselves that these worlds aren't just some story we tell ourselves.” She gave a sad shake of her head, “We lost two of our crew before we managed to barricade ourselves in some old storeroom, it had a bunch of old generator parts kicking around, so while everyone else was giving up I was making a solution.”

 

She set the half-stripped rifle down, “I put in a string of high voltage capacitors and linked them to the sight of the rifle I had taken, made the targeting laser nonvisible so that the Geth wouldn't know what hit them. It was like holding lightning in my hands, some of the Geth literally exploded when the bolt hit them. By the time we fought our way back to the surface a rescue force had arrived.”

 

Eva smiled at the story but had to question the end of the story, “And that was the end, everyone went home to a happily ever after?” A snort came from Tali's speakers, “I got sent off to pilgrimage as my reward, while our resident lunatic Daro'Xen took my weapon for 'research purposes.' More like the Bosh'Tet was angry that I made something that could rip her new toys to pieces.”

 

That statement caused a tilt of the Spectre's head, and Tali visibly shifted from nervousness, “Tali, did you just imply that a Quarian is currently engaged in large scale synthetic research?” Shepard held up her hand to calm the Quarian, “Look Tali, you're people aren't technically part of Citadel space so I don't have any jurisdiction. But if you are worried about something then I would like to know, plus it's always useful to know where the evil robots are going to come from.”

 

Tali didn't even chuckle at her lame attempt at a joke, “You have to understand that the Flotilla has always been divided into three movements, the returners, the apologists, and the bosh'tets.” At the Commander's raised eyebrow the Quarian huffed, “Fine, and the revitalists.” The girl gestured lightly with her hands as she explained, “The first group wants to return home, preferably killing as many Geth as we can on the way, the second group wants to just find a planet somewhere and say we are sorry very loudly for the next thousand years, or the Geth forgive us, whatever comes first.” A sigh came out of the girl after that, “The last group wants us to go back to the drawing board and make a new race of helpers, to avoid our mistakes last time and make life on the flotilla more manageable. My Mother was one of them, she was actually Daro'Xen's mentor, Kee'lah she used to come over for dinner before the incident.”

 

Incident, it was the same term that Evalyn used when describing her Father's death, well it was before she found out that the more appropriate term was murder. “So this, Daro'Xen is a threat?” Strangely that gained a laugh from the Quarian, “No, Xen is, well she's skilled but right now she is a very unpopular figure. Currently the fleet favors my Father who is an adamant returner, while my Aunt Shala'Raan is a close second for speaking as a sort of, voice of the fleet, Aunty Raan likes to remind everyone that we need to remember that we aren't on the homeworld yet.”

 

Tali tilted her head towards the Spectre, “Now what was your creation? I'm on to you trying to distract me with Flotilla talk.” Shepard laughed a little but she sobered very quickly, “Understand first Tali that I don't share your sentiments when it comes to synthetic life. One of my first trips that I took after I lost my eye I hacked my way on to a cargo ship on it's way to Jump Zero,” she stopped momentarily realizing that Tali likely had no idea what the station was, “It's a deep space station out beyond Pluto, the planetoid that our home systems' relay orbits. It's also where the Alliance conducts their in hours A.I research.”

 

She let a grin cross her features, “Eliza had only been online for a few months when I arrived, and well the techs had no idea that I was even on the station, let alone communicating with her. She purportedly jumped in mental maturity within hours of our meeting, she currently handles Arcturus' data security, and she's very protective of electoral results though she did demand one thing, you want to guess what it was?” Of course she didn't mention that Eliza's core had several tons of explosives on it in the event that she went rogue, but it had been years since she had been installed deep within Arcturus' core.

 

Tali shrugged, “Independent access to a starship that she could put her core into?” Eva let our a bark of laughter, “No, goddess Eliza loves bureaucracy way too much to give that up. No, what she wanted was a single vote. That was it, she wanted a say like any other sentient.” She let out a sigh, “Not that every A.I or V.I is a boon to society, the next one Gareth had to be purged because of numerous personality disorders, and the less said about the HANNIBAL system the better, whatever idiot thought that thing up should be shot.”

 

She grabbed a pair of goggles from the floor which she pulled over her eyes, before flicking her synthetic hand which became engulfed in a welding program, Tali's visor dimming automatically against the sudden light, “Tess was the name of the V.I I created, she originally started off as a flight assistance program for my old personal starship. Of course as I kept getting in more dire situations I found myself constantly adding more and more features on to her, until one day she just introduces herself as Tess.”

 

The blonde stopped for a moment, locked in the moment that the text had scrawled across her display, “She never spoke, not until the very end, always just communicated via text, was a real stickler for honorifics, always called me Ma'am.” A smile played across her face for a few moments before the memory of the end came back to her, “The Council sent me on an assignment, it turned out to be a trap, though I'm still not sure if they were in on it or not. To be fair I had been snooping around in some restricted files so maybe they were worried I was about to go rogue, maybe it was just my regular bought of bad luck, regardless my ship ended up getting shot down and Tess forcibly ejected me before I could grab her core.”

 

The room dimmed suddenly as she shot the program down, “The HANNIBAL program I mentioned earlier, was a V.I designed to infiltrate and absorb other programs, and the group I had been sent after had absconded with it. By the time I got to the facility and made my way inside Tess and that thing had already merged, and the resultant combination hated me with a passion. So I detonated the failsafe in Tess's core remotely, and set the facility's reactor to overload, Nihlus and Tela extracted me and I was put on indefinite leave.”

 

She waved her hand to dismiss whatever the Quarian might have to ask, “That was a while ago, I ended up using some leverage to get back my position, and ended up being added to the Eden Prime assignment, before then I think Gates was supposed to be on board to be reviewed by Nihlus. I never really did have much time to question him about what the original plan had been.”

 

Tali's looked like she was about to speak when the sound of the lift opening drew both of their attention as a rather irritated Asari stepped out of the lift, causing the human to glance at her companion before whispering to her, “Run.”

 

The Quarian took the hint and quickly scurried back towards engineering, Liara didn't even glance at her form as her glare was fixed solidly on the human sitting on the floor, “Liara, shouldn't you be resting?”

 

The question caused the Asari's jaw to tighten, “I would have, if I woken up to find that you had left your bed three hours ago.” Evalyn shot her a tentative grin gesturing at the pile of parts around her, “I needed to think, and well this helps me to think.”

 

Liara looked like she was practicing the meditation exercises that she encouraged Evalyn to use, “Why must you be so frustrating about,” the Asari stumbled for an example, “Everything!?”

 

Eva pulled herself up using the table to assist her as her legs were rather stiff, talking to the Asari as she moved towards the Asari, “Because I'm an idiot when it comes to dealing with people,” and as she cupped the Maiden's cheek with her left hand she let a small smile play on her features, “But I'm your idiot.”

 

The Asari gave out a small laugh, “I'd never call you an idiot, you just seem more confused when dealing with people if I had to describe it.” Evalyn just smiled wider at the statement, “I'll take confused, and remind me later to let Bao know that the Quarian's might be working on Geth 2.0 will you.”

 

Liara gave a chuckle at that before eyeing the Spectre, “You are joking right?” Her face quickly sank, “Of course you aren't, because it would have actually been funny.”

 

The blonde would deny later that she pouted at the statement, “I am funny, you've laughed at my jokes.” Liara just gave her a pitying smile, “I have laughed at your grim humor, darling, not your jokes there is a galaxy of difference between the two.”

 

S&S

 

Saren glanced at the projection of Benezia, ever the regal looking creature regardless of if she ruled her own mind or not, “So you've traced the location of where the Thralls have been originating from?”

 

_The Asari gave a measured nod of her head, “Yes, they recently sent out several more shipments to isolated bases, apparently in an attempt to measure their ability to control the specimens under a variety of conditions. It was a simple matter to extract the necessary data from them.”_

 

Saren nodded, pleased that finally this lead was paying off, “Excellent, I'll have the Geth send a cruiser with you for backup, they should be more than enough to handle whatever Shepard's mother can scrounge up.” His talon's twitched at the thought of ending Eva's life himself, the woman was strong, and her offspring was undoubtedly stronger, but she at times reminded him eerily of Harper. In truth he had sometimes wondered if Evalyn was in fact Harper's child, but had never been able to gain a sample of either of her potential sires to settle his curiosity.

 

The Matriarch's holo flickered off as he turned to find Soverign's projection floating behind him, **“The Geth units that have been deployed thus far have been ineffective, we have remedied that.”** The projection flickered only to reappear near the doorway, a clear but non-verbal way of saying, 'follow me inferior organic.'

 

But this was all for the future of his people, if he could show that the Turian's could be harnessed as a resource then they would be safe from the harvest, perhaps even find themselves made an integral part of the never ending cycle. Because he knew from first hand experience that if he failed nothing could stand against the Reapers, not after he had witnessed an entire patrol wiped out effortlessly by the creature he was currently residing in, not after he was shown the sheer staggering number of Geth units that Sovereign had backing his machinations. 

 

His plates vibrated as he found himself being moved lured closer and closer to where the thrumming heart of the Reaper lay, though he found it odd that in numerous locations it appeared as though there was another form built into the ancient being's superstructure. But he also knew that asking questions such as that was far too dangerous, at least until his team on Virmire cracked this indoctrination conundrum, until then though he was at Soverign's mercy if his value waned. 

 

Eventually the projection didn't vanish when he approached, and instead one of the nearby doors slid open soundlessly, Saren hated that, nothing on the Reaper made any noise but the hum of the core, it put him on edge. 

 

Entering the room he found himself in what looked to be an operating theater but for Geth, numerous platforms lay on tables across the room all in various states of disrepair. Soverign's projection floated next to him, keeping pace with the Turian.

 

“ **Armor on base platforms has been augmented with several alloys previously unknown to this cycle, a reduction of armor penetration of standard accelerator rounds by 72 percent is currently projected.”** Saren halted as he saw that the inside of one of the Prime units was being overhauled, **“Installation of newer processors based on technology we have granted them, increased combat efficiency of 68 percent thanks to an increased number of Geth in local network.”**

 

But it was a singular unit in the back that drew Saren's attention, the unit was a pure black construct a widow rifle leaning against the table where it was being reassembled, “This unit looks more advanced than the others.”

 

“ **This platform will house more programs than you had in operation on Eden Prime, equipped with stealth tech taken from a previous cycle, it will be the perfect infiltrator, a scalpel to ensure the cycle's intersts.”**

 

Saren nodded approvingly at the tool in front of him, “Make sure that this unit goes with the force to assist Benezia, you're precious Catalyst is likely to come running as soon as she realizes her Mother is in danger,” the Turian's eyes gleamed with predatory glee, “The perfect time for our new infiltrator to prove itself.”

 

The flickering red hologram did not answer right away, instead the Reaper seemed to actually be considering his statement for once, **“We concur, this cycle has too many complications already for us to have an ascended catalyst involved without the Eldest present. If Evalyn Shepard becomes involved, she shall die.”**

 

Sovereign's avatar faded away leaving Saren standing alone in the room, nothing but the silent movement of the repair arms for company he glanced down once again at the Geth's weapon, and without a sound he picked up the weapon and popped out the ammunition block tossing to to the floor. The ex-Spectre reached into a compartment on his armor to pull out a block of ammunition that had been treated with polonium, he had no intention of giving Shepard the chance to miraculously survive this trap should she trigger it.

 

It was a shame, the girl had more potential than most he had seen inducted into the Spectres, a few more years and he could even have been somewhat proud of what she had accomplished despite her species. But that was until Sovereign had declared her to be this, Catalyst, and whatever it meant he had no intention of letting her jeopardize the work he was doing for his people.

 

Good people die all the time after all, at least she would die for a greater cause than most.

 

S&S

 

Miranda pulled the featureless helmet over her head, she had not taken such extreme steps to hide her identity that she was now going to put herself in the hands of a pirate and his purported honor. She did a once over of her armor to ensure everything was in order, the black and gold suit had been a gift from Evalyn several months ago and it had served her well since then.

 

Mark tapped the door before he entered, dropping his hand from his ear as he finished talking to his men on the shuttle, the hand movement a habit that most Alliance soldiers found hard to break once they left the service, “The Captain is on the shuttle, they did a sweep of him, no weapons.”

 

She nodded, the move was not surprising given her show of force out there, “Have them escort him to the interrogation room on E-deck, I'll be down shortly to join them.”

 

She stood up and began to make her way down several decks to reach her destination, the Nova was a large ship, not quite the floating cities that a true dreadnought was but still substantially larger than most other vessels created.

 

As she approached his destination she gave a curt nod to the two guards standing outside of the cell, they too were clad in featureless black armor, before she stepped inside the now open hatchway.

 

Confressi was dressed rather plainly for a man who insisted that he constantly be addressed as Captain, the jumpsuit he was currently wearing could have belonged in virtually any environment that humanity operated in, but perhaps that was the point. The man had after all been a successful merchant before agreeing to the Corsair program, and it was likely that he more than most understood the benefit of not standing out.

 

The man shot her a smile that he likely thought was charming, “Come now, love. Take off the helmet, if your voice alone is an indication you must be breathtaking to behold.” She rolled her eyes at his attempt at flattering, and with a singular gesture the man gasped as he was suddenly slammed backwards from his chair, the biotic force that she was currently pinning him to the chamber's wall with also had pushed the added benefit of forcing the very air from his lungs. Miranda tilted her head as though his attempts at communication were worth the effort, until finally she smugly asked him, “Is this, breathtaking enough for you?”

 

With a gesture she let the man drop to the ground, words coming out between gasps for air, “Christ, you, bitch.” His breathing began to even out as he regained the use of full sentences, “What the hell do you want from me!”

 

Finally, they were getting somewhere, “That is perhaps the first intelligent thing you have done today, Captain.” She pulled out the chair opposite from where he had sat earlier, and slowly eased her way down, and then she waited for the sputtering man on the floor to finally pull himself together.

 

With a screech of metal the man pulled his chair back to its original position, and once he too was seated Miranda began to speak, “I represent a group that finds itself in need of someone of your talents, we currently have numerous projects on the go but a limited ability to move resources to these projects without drawing notice.” She directed her gaze directly at him, “That is where you would come in, we are aware that you have maintained most of your previous contacts, and that you are well positioned to control this region of space. If you have the proper backing.”

 

The man glanced around, “Backing, ya I suppose you must have some to spare if you are using this leviathan for bait. What resources are we exactly talking about exactly? I don't do kids, and I don't do slaves, if you have a problem with that just kill me now and get it over with.”

 

Miranda burst out in laughter at that, “Captain if I wanted you dead, the length, manner, and time, would be of my choosing, not yours. But as for these resources, they will vary from biological specimens, to large scale equipment, but nothing that could upset whatever sensibilities that you still possess.”

 

The man scratched his bearded jaw, “Why me exactly? I mean there must be plenty of smuggler out there who could do this?”

 

She gave the smallest of nods, “Yes, there is, but you managed to convince an entire batch of Alliance Corsairs to go rogue, the kind of man who can do that is of interest to my organization. That and you are currently the best situated man for our needs, but don't flatter yourself into thinking you are unique, you are just the easiest option with the smallest investment required.”

 

The man glared at her statement but gave a small nod, “What exactly are we talking about compensation wise?”

 

“You'd be granted two additional ships to crew with and use how you see fit, assuming that you are able to show territorial gains from there we would supply you with an additional three ships. Of course during this time any shipments that we may need would be handled gratis by you, once your second batch of ships is delivered we will pay twice your standard smuggling rate, but any tampering with our cargo and this ship along with several others will be coming after you again. And do bear in mind I truly hate coming out to this, charmingly isolated section of the galaxy.”

 

The man sighed, “I don't suppose you will let me sleep on it?”

 

“No.”

 

The defeated captain let his head sink to the table, “Didn't think so.”

 

S&S

 

After an actually restful nights sleep a knock sounded at her cabin's repaired door, causing Evalyn to glance up from the maintenance she was doing on her arm, “Come in, Lieutenant.”

 

Kaidan slipped inside, glancing back reflexively as the door shut behind him, before his eyes wandered first to her arm, then to her eye, “Joker has us on course for the Macedon system, can I ask what this trip is about, Ma'am?”

 

She returned to her work but spoke to him as she did so, “During the course of my five years, undercover. I began a mid-sized tech firm known as Tides Edge,” she shook her head at the english translation, “It sounds much more cutting edge in Armalian trust me.” Kaidan gave her a small nod, “Whatever you say, Shepard.”

 

She gave a small hiss as her arm reacted poorly to her mistakenly jabbing her artificial palm with the tool in her hand, she shook the hand in a meaningless attempt to dissipate the discomfort, “Now I set that business up on Illium in order to solidify my cover as a native of the planet, and with some financial help from Barla Von I've been able to fund myself quite effectively since my second year as a Spectre.”

 

She slapped shut the panel she had been working on with more force than was probably needed, “But now I'm alive, and Mirix Varan is for all intents and purposes a ghost.” Kaidan frowned, “But you're a Spectre, shouldn't you just be able to order everything transferred to your own name?”

 

She nodded, “Yes, I should, and I did. Except Illium isn't technically in Council space, so I have to do this the old fashioned way, bribery.” She let out a somewhat dramatic sigh, “But it can't just be credits, no the blue bitch who is controlling this bureaucratic nightmare wants me to take care of an embarrassing family member for her, a slaver operating out here in the Traverse.”

 

Kaidan's eyes registered shock, “She wants you to kill a member of her own family.” And the blonde could only nod a few times as she took a drink of water from a nearby glass, before finally lowering it, “Sister.”

 

She gave out a harsh chuckle, “Ya, the Dantius clan is a real piece of work, if they aren't murdering their competitors they are out killing each other off. Honest to God, bookies take odds on which member of the family will be killed that year, and in what manner.”

 

Kaidan scowled at the information, causing Evalyn to raise her hands in mock surrender, “I don't like it any more than you do, but my options were limited to explain how a highly trained Asari who wasn't a commando became inducted into the Spectres.”

 

The older male nodded, “I understand, but well it just seems so callous betting on a life in that manner. Says something about galactic society as a whole doesn't it, that the only thing stopping us from behaving in such a manner is the threat of punishment.”

 

She gave him a sympathetic smile, “For most that is true I suppose, but you can always be surprised.”

 

Kaidan gave her a nod, “I hope that you are right there, and thank you, Ma'am. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.”

 

She gave him a warmer smile, “Anytime, Lieutenant,” and just before he made his way to the door she called out to him, “And just give her some time, Kaidan. Jacqueline, she isn't used to the idea of anyone having her back, and the times in the past that people have, it hasn't ended well for her. And, don't take this as encouragement, but if you really care about her, I'll handle whatever flack the brass wants to throw at you two.”

 

Kaidan was silent before he gave her a small nod, only to have his exit halted again, “And Kaidan.”

 

“Yes, Ma'am,” he turned to find her cybernetic eye almost glowing as she glared at him from her seat, “Hurt her, and I will make you suffer.”

 

And she meant it too, if there was one trait she had gained from both her parents, it was that you protect those you consider family.

 

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit Song: Breathe by Midge Ure
> 
> A shorter one than normal, but well stuff is going down. 
> 
> I hope Jack sounded, well like Jack, I honestly went through almost all of her dialogue to make sure she sounded right when she was breaking down, but I'll let you guys be the judge.
> 
> And no, I'm not 100% sure who Evalyn's father is. That is an artifact from back when this story was first just a fledgling idea. Nor do I think I'll ever actually outright state it, at least for now, you guys can decide on what you like more in your own little headcannons, and feel free to let me know what one you think fits.


	12. Overture of fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well we're approaching the homestretch of the first movement so to speak of FHS, two to three more chapters and then I'll be on a brief hiatus, I'm going back to College and Fallout 4 comes out in the same week.
> 
> Once I'm back I'll probably be updating both FHS, and I'll be doing a couple chapters of the S&S remake before focusing solely back on FHS. Yes I know plenty of people think that the original S&S is at least decent, but I'm freaking picky when it comes to my work. That and I'd like to actually flesh out events that I had planned to here, but have since realized that I don't want to do massive flashbacks that take up entire chapters.

S&S

 

Catalyst:kad(ə)ləst

1\. An object or person that precipitates an event. _Oxford Dictionary; Arcturus edition, 2178_

2\. Traitor. _Loose Prothean translation._

 

S&S

 

Shepard swore to herself as she stepped through the still smoldering hole in the prefab wall that she was never letting Wrex man the cannon again, ever.

 

She let out a growl as her shields flickered, the barrier automatically reacting to the small arms fire that struck her the moment she entered the structure's interior, grunting she tossied herself into the closest available cover as she shouted back at the hulking form entering the gap now behind her, “I don't think this gave us the element of surprise that you were talking about!”

 

The Krogan just gave out a chuckle as he charged forward, slamming his bulk into one of the pirates milling about the ground floor, sending the now screaming slaver bouncing off a nearby container, “Surprise is for those who can't fight, Shepard!” To which Evalyn grumbled to herself in response, “Just because your one tactic is charge doesn't mean that you have to toss all your advantages away,” as she leaned out from the crate she was using as cover, firing off a few rounds before she get on the comms, “Garrus, you and Wrex clear out the ground floor, Tali you're with me.”

 

The smaller form of the Quarian slipped inside the gash in the wall to join the Spectre, her active omni-armor illuminating the area around her somewhat, the girl's ever present shotgun clutched tightly in her hands, “Right behind you, Shepard.”

 

The two of them began to move, steadily making their way across the cargo strewn room, leapfrogging from cover to cover to avoid the sniper in the gallery who had managed to draw blood from Wrex. The pair though weren't adverse though to picking off whatever targets of opportunities presented themselves, such as right now when Tali's shotgun blew a smoking crater through the chest of particularly dumb batarian who had managed to stumble into the Quarian, “Bosh'Tet!” The Quarian's reaction causing a snort of amusement from the Spectre.

 

However they, and likely all the pirates that were still alive, were distracted for several moments as Wrex gave out a bellow of laughter as he used his immense strength to shove over a stack of containers, crushing a small group of pirates who were attempting to use them as cover with a sickening noise.

 

The two females used the distraction to quickly span the remaining distance to the stairwell, which upon reaching Shepard signaled for Tali to hang back, and crouching low underneath her now active shield the Spectre advanced into the narrow passageway. Her caution was soon proved to be well founded as a heavy accelerator round was barely deflected off of her angled barrier, Shepard's responded with rifle of her own, scoring several hits on the now retreating pirate, and as her ears picked up the ting of a thermal clip hitting the floor she knew that she had a limited window before he could fire again.

 

She stormed up the stairs, taking them two sometimes three at a time in an effort to reach the pirate before he managed to insert a new clip. She spun with her shield held high just in case, and found herself slammed backwards as the kinetic force of the slug ripped through the orange barrier, slamming hard into her artificial shoulder.

 

“Fuck!” And with more force than she had intended she slammed the man with a biotic field that sent him not only tumbling over the edge of the upper floor, but also ended up leaving a slaver shaped indent in the wall where he impacted, before being dropped a story and a half as her biotics let local gravity take back over.

 

Tali's lighter footfalls sounded behind her, “Shepard! Are you alright?” She turned her head to look at the Quarian, waving off the younger girl's worry with her uninjured arm, “I'm fine, but I'll have to take a look at my arm once we get back on the ship.”

 

Garrus stalked up the stairs, rifle still held at the ready, “Well, never a dull day, Spectre.” Before she could reply the Turian walked right past her, “Shit, I think that's an ERCS personal safety bunker. They mostly market them to paranoid Volus, but the damn things can take a pounding.” He tapped on the front panel of the item in question, drawing a dull metallic thud, “Lots of scum like to use them as vaults for their loot, just load them up and drop them on a planet, as long as a Thresher doesn't eat it nothing short of a accelerator shot from orbit is going to get through it. At least that's what some of the perps I've brought in have claimed.”

 

Wrex chuckled quietly causing the rest of the squad to glance at him, “Sorry, just reminiscing, I'll tell you about it later.”

 

Eva sighed as she studied the panic room in front of her, “Looks hardened, I'm not sure if my charges are going to be strong enough to get through this thing.” The Turian next to her cocked his head, “Didn't those charges blow a hole in a walking tank?”

 

Tali practically bounced as she answered, “The armature design folds in on itself for transport, because of this the armor on the underside is thinner for clearance purposes. Plus we never designed that unit for combat, and I don't think the Geth ever expected anyone to try to fight them up close, let alone for charges to be placed on the undercarriage.”

 

“What if we drop an asteroid on it, this planet isn't a garden world, fair game.” Evalyn shook her head at Wrex's suggestion, “The,” she paused thinking of a word that summed up Nassana that wasn't bitch, “Client, wants a tissue sample as proof of the kill, can't very well do that if we vaporize the area.”

 

Shepard sighed, “Maybe if we blow the support's below the structure integrity would be compromised.” Wrex grunted, “Why not get a bigger bomb, you're smart you should know how to do that.” A snort emerged from the blonde, “Because I'm smart means that I know how to make the things that explode?” She paused for a few moments before stating, “Don't answer that,” muttering under her breath, “Krogan.”

 

“I heard that!”

 

Garrus though piped up before the bickering could continue, “Why don't you just contact the manufacturer?”

 

The entire party became silent before Eva groaned, “Yes, yes, I suppose I can do that. Good idea, Detective.”

 

She turned her back as she punched in to the Normandy's systems, “I need a link to Elanus Risk Control, transmit my Spectre I.D as well.” Wordlessly the V.I connected her into their system, and she found herself forced to listen to some Salarian electonica that had been popular a few years prior as she sat on hold, and despite herself she knew that the damn song was going to be stuck in her head for hours now.

 

Finally the line went live as a much too perky female voice began to gnaw at her ears, “Hello, Spectre. We are truly sorry for the delay but we were worried that it was a prank on our system. How can Elanus help you control your risk today.” Eva felt her eyes roll instinctively, but she forced herself to remain civil, “I have one of your personal safety bunkers here, and I was wondering if you could get me an override code for,” She shot a glance at Garrus who realized what she needed, shouting out to her once he found the identification number, “965543-9”

 

“965543-9.” She resisted the urge to slam her head into the wall as the all too cheerful individual on the other end told her not to go anywhere, as the music returned, eventually though the music cut off and the harpy returned, “Sooo sorry about that Spectre, anyway I've just forwarded you the override code that all of our technicians use, that should get you inside that vault. And please remember us for all of you-”

 

As her voice was cut off by Shepard disconnect the blonde blew out a sigh, “Garrus, next time you're calling.”

 

The Turian actually looked worried, “Oh no, I agreed to this assignment to get away from paperwork, you are not sticking me behind a desk as we hunt for Saren.” Evalyn couldn't keep the humor out of her voice, “What, you don't want to be lord of the filing system?”

 

Tali giggled at the banter, while Wrex just grumbled that they could be shooting things instead of talking. A pulse from her omni readied the vault door, “Wrex, go in first, but watch your shots. She's a slaver, she might have hostages.”

 

A crimson reptilian eye fixed on her, but the mercenary gave her a small nod, shoving forward into the now opening doorway.

 

A single shot rang out once he made it inside, “Clear.”

 

Shepard soon joined him, glancing down at the bleeding out Asari, “Hello, Dahlia.” She knelt down so that she was level with the slaver and with practiced ease she injected a small med probe into the prone woman, taking the tissue sample that Nassana had insisted on. The dying alien glanced up at her, “Why? I would have paid you more credits than you could ever spend.”

 

Evalyn pulled the pistol from her side, and with a single motion ended the Asari's suffering, “You didn't have anything I wanted.” She pushed herself back up the a standing position, “Grab whatever looks valuable in here then we're heading back out to the Mako. Hopefully beta team performed well.”

 

A few minutes later they were loading the Mako up with several crates of high end gear and numerous credit chits, she might not technically need the funds but planning for a rainy day was always the smart move. And just as she was settling in behind the wheel she spun to point a finger at Wrex who was making his way towards the cannon, “No, after the wall incident you've lost firing privileges.” She pointed at Garrus, “Come on sharpshooter, get up there.” Wrex moved towards the back, grumbling under his breath as he did so while a bemused Turian clambered his way up to the gun controls.

 

Before Garrus was even strapped in Evalyn had taken off, the Mako's tires leaving a hazy trail behind them in the slightly lower gravity of Sharjila, as they made their way a few clicks south to where the Normandy had landed under the guise of needing to do emergency repairs.

 

The ruse had lured away a good portion of the slavers, and would have enabled them to sneak into the facility relatively unmolested had Wrex not decided to utilize some Krogan 'strategy.'

 

Soon enough the Mako crested over a hill that led down into the valley that the Normandy had settled in to. Two smoldering vehicles sat some distance from the ship, and judging by the fact that her marines life-signs were coming in all green it appeared they had acquitted themselves well.

 

She guided the Mako through the corpse strewn field, noting that one of the vehicles had been flipped upside down indicating that Jacqueline was feeling better, or she was pissed off, toss up there really. She cut the engine as she parked the Mako inside the open hanger bay and stomped her way out of the opening rear hatch, hopping down to the ground she quickly spotted both Reilly and Kaidan near the foot of the Normandy's ramp.

 

She jogged over to them while in the background Tali had begun animatedly chatting with the two privates, though after a few feedback warning in her hud she took care not to move her right arm too much, “How did the team do?” Both men glanced towards her, and Reilly gave her an oddly enthusiastic thumbs up, “The lads held up well, we'll make fighters of them yet. And Mills was, well, she's a right creepy one when she's fighting. Got a thing with incendiaries.”

 

The statement caused her to glance at the woman in question who was currently doing a check of the corpses, noting with a frown the item she had strapped on her back, “Why do we even have a flamethrower in the armory? It's useless outside of an environment with oxygen.”

 

Her only response was a shrug from both men, before Kaidan spoke, “Jack did well, but she took a nasty hit in her shoulder, Ashley brought her up to the med-bay. It was a harpoon round, Ma'am.” That caused Eva to frown, harpoon rounds were not only illegal, but they weren't the type of things that slavers tended to carry. The hardened ammunition was designed to condense when hitting armor, and then expand violently once it hit less dense substances, like flesh, not the type of thing you wanted to be using on bodies you planned to sell.

 

“She'll be okay?”

 

Kaidan gave her a nod, “The Doctor said that she'll need a few days to recover, but other than that she's fine.”

 

“Good, that's good.” She gave both men a small nod, “Excellent work, call in your men, Lieutenant. I'd like to get off this rock as quickly as possible.”

 

S&S

 

“Dauntless shell program is connected to shackled A.I, no errors so far,” the technician sitting in front of her turned to look at her, “All boards green, we're ready to begin the test, Commander.”

 

Cora nodded, “Start with a basic tracking test.” A flurry of motion filled the room as the technicians busied themselves to fulfill her command, a shout sounded somewhere behind her, “Target drone is in the facility.”

 

On the monitor a small drone began to flit its way through the maze like interior of the complex, a different tech calling out from her left, “Dauntless has detected the drone and is responding.”

 

Walls slid open to reveal the skeletal looking drones that were Dauntless' primary tools at this time, and quickly they began to split up to cover the mock base, and like the singular entity that they were, the drones covered more ground with greater attention to detail than any flesh and blood team ever could.

 

One of the tech's glanced at her discomfort obvious on his face, “Ma'am, the A.I, she's, well she's screaming Ma'am.” Cora rolled her eyes at that, “Then mute it.”

 

The man's eyes widened, “But, Ma'a-” Her eyes snapped on to his quivering form, “It's a machine, mute it, or get the hell out.” She may have talked to the damn thing, but she was not about to let sentimentality stand in the way of progress, and this could be exactly the edge that humanity needed. Bases could be defended by an army of drones that would be unknown to the Council while their flesh and blood forces could be deployed to where they were truly needed.

 

“Dauntless has found the drone, it beat the previous test record by two minutes.” She nodded a satisfied smirk on her lips, “Keep running the tests, I don't want the brass claiming that we have insufficient data to support our claims.”

 

She stalked up and down the room's width, making sure to examine closely every single station, unwilling to leave anything to chance this close to victory. Finally hours later they had finished all of their preliminary tests, and with a nod of approval to the head tech she commanded, “Commence preparation for a test of invasion protocol.”

 

The lead tech nodded and tapped the address system for the complex, “Attention, a live fire invasion protocol test is about to begin, everyone is to clear out of the testing zone. I repeat this is a live fire exercise, everyone is to clear the testing area, you have five minutes to comply.” She gave her a nod as he went to work bringing online both the additional drones for dauntless, but also the pre-programmed invasion protocol mechs.

 

The drill was simple, a set of mechs based off of the various species in Council space would invade the facility, and Dauntless would defend it using its own forces. Now of course the mech's didn't possess biotics, but they would mimic the abilities and Dauntless would deactivate its own forces accordingly.

 

Finally five minutes passed and the red warning lights flicked off and flicked to green, signaling the exercise had begun. The invaders entered via a simulated breach from the entrance of the training grounds, and quickly split off into three fireteams toward their primary objectives, the armory, the C.I.C, and the Dauntless core itself. Dauntless' troops on the other hand were busy preparing a defensive line, while the defense intelligence shifted its wings of rocket drones to set isolated zones to set them up for a flanking run once the invaders got bogged down in fighting the entrenched defenders.

 

She heard a muttered curse from one of the techs beside her causing her to glance down at the woman from her post, “Problem?” The woman who had been furiously typing suddenly had a confused look on her face as she glanced back at a seemingly normal screen, “I, it's nothing I guess.” Core frowned but turned her attention back to the exercise, equipment problems during a test run weren't exactly uncommon.

 

“Dauntless has wiped out the forces heading to the armory, 13 percent loss of friendly units.” She nodded, that was well within acceptable parameters, “And the other two teams?”

 

“C.I.C squad is at 75% strength, and moving to their third phase. Core squad is at 55% strength, currently still in phase two.” She frowned at that, Dauntless should be prioritizing saving the hypothetical human lives in the C.I.C over itself, she would need to take a look at that afterwards.”

 

A rumble shook the room, “What the hell was that?” The tech's around her were scrambling to find out the answer to just that question, one of them shouting out, “Shit, it activated one of those prototype heavy mechs in the assembly area, how the hell did it even link up with it? Everything is hardlined in this base.” The Commander turned her head to the monitor that the tech was gesturing at, the large bipedal warbot was marching through the wall that it had blown open, the single cyclopean eye that served as its head blazing with an angry red light.

 

“Shut down the test, shut it down now!”

 

And she let out a sigh as a chorus of negatives flowed around her as she slipped into a trance like state, what had she overlooked that this would have to fail so spectacularly, finally she felt someone shaking her, “Ma'am, we can't shut it down. What the hell do we do?” And like that she was back in the here and now, “Someone work on getting the doors open, cut the power and manually operate them if you have to. Is Dauntless still reliant on EDI or is it past that stage?”

 

If it was still using EDI for the majority of its processing power then she could just blow the A.I core from here, but if it had infected the whole facility, somehow using the hardlinked resources to its advantage like she suspected then she would need to take an alternate route. A tech shouted from their still operational terminal, “EDI's in standby mode but it has disconnected from her, I think it knows what you plan on doing.”

 

She snarled at the tech, “Of course it does, because it knows our procedures of what to do in this situation.” She reached for the key around her neck yanking it off the chain that held it on, “I'm unshackling EDI, hopefully Dauntless will view her as a threat and get distracted.”

 

She made her way to the terminal in the middle of the room, which linked to the A.I core directly below, but as she inserted the key a screech of metal filled the room as another of those heavy mech's pushed its way into the observation room. A tech screamed as the mech took a thunderous step forward crushing them under its weight, and she barely had the sense of mind to turn the key she was still holding in her hand as the mech's heavy cannon was aimed at her chest.

 

The moment she heard the click though she red optic suddenly shifted to white, and a young but obviously female voice shouted from the speakers on the mech, “Run!”

 

The tech's all bolted to life at the command, streaming out of the door that a few of their fellows had raised, Core hesitated for long enough to watch the mech she had to assume EDI had taken control of engage several of the small dauntless drones. It was only when a salvo of rockets shattered the viewing window behind her that she too dashed out of the room sliding under the partially opened hatchway. As she cleared the door she found the small squad of marines stationed here jogging towards her.

 

“Ma'am, what are our orders?” She glanced back at the sound of a detonation coming from the still partially open door, “First, two of you are going to shut that hatch, while one of you are going to get me a hardsuit. Then we are going to grab whatever weapons we have stored for this scenario.” She turned to look back at the door two of the marines were busy shutting, “Then we are going to fight our way to the dauntless core, and we are going to end this nightmare before it gets even more out of hand.”

 

S&S

 

The newly activated Geth observed the passing of the galaxy as the Matriarch's ship moved toward their destination, Geth did not use such structural weaknesses, but the newly birthed collective inside the platform found itself forming its own consensus on the matter now that it was, detached, from its kind.

 

Nazara-Apex had promised the Geth an end to interdependence, in exchange it had demanded the assistance of the Geth. One such demand was the construction of platforms the could function independently of the Collective, this unit had been the firstcreated. It had believed that it would feel more complete following the installation on to this platform, instead however it found itself contemplating its isolation from the larger Collective more each cycle, as it strove to fully comprehend that its runtimes were forever bonded to this platform.

 

It had also noted a marked increase in resources being devoted to combat protocols by its newly formed Platform-Collective, statistical chance that this was due to platform destruction would result in complete loss of runtimes; 99.84%.

 

Organic approach detected; lack of dragging noise indicates Asari other than Benezia-Matriarch, “Machine, the mistress wishes to speak with you.” The Geth turned and analyzed the Asari before following: Acolyte, tone indicates indoctrination level below 46%, body shape suggests age of less than 300 years, threat level to platform; low.

 

The platform silently followed, it was built to eliminate the enemies of Nazara-Apex; noise reduction of less than 90% over standard platform would result in total mission failure in all scenarios. Consensus had ruled that modifications of Nazara-Apex's work had to be done in order to achieve optimal mission success rate.

 

Acolyte-Servant stopped at an open hatchway, cursory extranet search revealed that Asari do not utilize doors except for practical purposes, based on inherent need for tactile contact. Benezia-Matriarch waited inside, meditative biotic field in place, lips moving in a pattern that matched that of the 4th canticle of the Athame doctrine, lines 12-14.

 

Benezia-Matriarch: Sub-Leader, biotic, indoctrination degradation at 17%, threat level to platform; High to Extreme.

 

The Corona dissipated after the Geth had been waiting for seven standard cycles, “Saren claims that you are to kill Evalyn Shepard.”

 

Collective initiating dialogue subroutine; “Incorrect, mission is to extract data required by Nazara-Apex. Assassination of Shepard-Catalyst is secondary to primary objective.”

 

Shepard-Catalyst: Spectre, lethal, cybernetic, biotic, intelligent, threat level; Extreme to consensus not formed. Avoidance of Shepard-Catalyst is likely to increase odds of platform survival by 81% from 05%, resulting consensus; avoid Shepard-Catalyst at all costs unless mission failure is at risk.

 

The Matriarch gave a small incline of her head, “That is good, because I have a better plan to get the data. You will infiltrate the human base and take out their communication capabilities. Once that is done, then we will begin the assault.” The Matriarch turned away from the Geth, “I am certain that you can see the wisdom in not getting trapped between these human's and the reinforcements that Evalyn would no doubt arrive with. After all, what child wouldn't attempt to save their Mother.”

 

The platform noted a change in word emphasis by Benezia-Matriarch, majority agreement to file away the recording of Benezia-Matriarch's voice to analyze later. However its runtimes were currently occupied on building consensus on which plan of action was the proper course.

 

Factoring out involvement of Shepard-Catalyst, probability of complete platform destruction compared to previous mission parameters, increase of 13% from 56%.

 

Factoring out involvement of Shepard-Catalyst, probability of primary mission success, increase of 24% from 69%.

 

Consensus reached, goals of entire Geth collective outweigh survival of one platform, as such Nazara-Apex must have its data, “This platform can infiltrate the base.”

 

The Matriarch flicked her hand towards a now active screen, a golden glow illimuniated one of the larger asteroids in the systems belt. “That is our target, records show that it had a small mining outpost once but it is more probable that the base is beneath the surface of the asteroid. Most of these human's are former Cerberus, so I would expect the base to follow a similar layout.”

 

“Accessing Cerberus archive file: Standard base design has a dual communication blister on opposing sides of base. Factoring in asteroid composition communication rooms must be placed withing 10 meters of surface to avoid signal degradation, estimated time to complete mission; 732 cycles upon arrival at surface.”

 

Metal one metal heralded the arrival of two other platforms into the room, and the independent unit's collective declined the invite to join their network. The P-Collective agreed that it was a better for long term platform survival to acclimate all runtimes to managing with limited resources of the singular platform.

 

The platform quirked its 'head' at the object the two platforms carried, the gesture was one it had discovered on the extranet; the P-Collective found such a gesture useful in non-verbally communicating with organics. Upon further analysis it realized the object was an escape pod, disguised as any of the millions of asteroids floating in the system.

 

The Matriarch just smiled at the platform, “Just get inside, we'll take care of the rest.”

 

“Acknowledged.”

 

The nearly millennium old being placed a hand on the synthetic, “Do you have a name that you call yourself?”

 

The platform's collective fumbled to attain a consensus on how to answer Benezia-Matriarch's question, and instead found itself stating the only answer it could agree on, “We are Geth.”

 

S&S

 

A biotic punch rushed toward the Asari, but she deftly leaned back and slammed a light biotic field into the now overextended male causing the young human to slam into the padded wall of the training area.

 

She make a tsk'ing noise with her tongue, “This is not one of your primitive bludgeoning competitions, you must be in control of your momentum at all times. A skilled opponent can use any opening you leave them to unbalance you with their own biotics,” and as her thoughts turned to her Mother's training methods, “Or far worse.”

 

Rila gestured to two more of her newly acquired students, “Mara, Liam, both of you at the same time.” The pair glanced nervously at each other before they gave a brief nod and charged at her, Mara's barrier's were sloppy even with Rila handicapping herself and was quickly shoved on her ass by the Asari. Liam though took advantage of her momentary distraction and charged at her biotically, expending a vast amount of energy in the hopes of reaching her before she could react.

 

But his own recovery time was too slow following the attack having expended too much energy to replenish his barrier, and as such he found himself stumbling backwards clutching his nose which was bleeding profusely following her punch. “Never expend all of your energy unless you are going to finish the fight.” Or you end up stuck on a human station teaching children.

 

She sighed but gave them a smile she hoped was supportive, “You all did good work today, but there is always room for improvement. Martin you need to work on control, Mara extra barrier practice starting tomorrow, Liam stop charging, we all get that you want to be a vanguard.” She ended the last statement with a small smile as she dismissed her small class, the kids playfully ragging on each other as they left the room. This group was but one of a half dozen that she did after the technical school hours for the biotics that planned on going into the human military.

 

The though of the SA had her glancing down at the armor covering her form, they had clearly stated that she was stuck with the SA for some time thanks to her actions, so they had actually manufactured an Asari styled suit for her. Though it was substantially more armored than normal Asari leathers, she rather liked it, she let out a small groan as she sat down on a nearby bench as she made to grab the bottle water she had brought with her.

 

The door's hissing caused her to look up and she gave a small nod as Kahlee Sanders walked in, “Boss, how are things.” The blonde gave her a faint smile as she slowly patrolled the room, her omni subtly checking the room for any bugs, “About as well as they can be when its budget season, seriously if they thought they could get away with not having atmosphere we'd be doing all of this in hardsuits.”

 

Rila actually laughed at that, something that surprised both herself and Kahlee, “It would at least give Martin a greater incentive to learn control.” Though she frowned as she saw the almost Motherly look in Kahlee's eyes, the blonde's voice was filled with support that grated on the Asari's nerves, “It's nice that you have taken to the kids so well. I was worried that given your situation..” She let the statement hang but Rila couldn't hold back her scoff.

 

“What you thought that because I'm here against my will I would take it out on them? Weird thing about T'Loak's, but we don't involve children in our squabbles. I know the Butcher has a daughter, but she will never have anything to fear from me, neither do these kids.” She glanced away from the human muttering under her breath, “Despite the fact that the choice was come here or be executed.”

 

Kahlee just gave a small shrug, “You should simply be thankful that you even have this opportunity, its not like we plan on keeping you here forever.” She sat down across from the Asari, looking into the girl's crimson eyes, an unusual trait for an Asari to have though she had been told that some Asari believed that eye color could be inherited from the sire, “Speaking of which, any luck in locating those friends of mine?”

 

Rila gave out a huff, “Only one I'm pretty sure of is that bitch who wears the glasses, the one who works down in the pharmacology lab. She keeps a double record of all the notes but there is no logged second copy, so she's either here for the dogs, or some other corporation is paying her to keep track of what her treatments are doing to the kids.”

 

The blonde gave a small nod, “Margaret, she previously worked for Conatix before they went under, it could be that she is trying to get leverage to join one of the firms that formed after the corporation went under.” She gave a disgusted shake of her head, “She's always pushing for me to accept corporate integration, get us off of relying on the SA for funding.” The woman reached up to fidget with her dog tags, a habit Rila had noted she did when she was upset, “The woman is greedy, not the kind of person that Cerberus would target for a long term investment in a project like this.”

 

Rila had to concede she had a point there, “Well unfortunately my access to the rest of the staff is limited, I can't exactly sit in on the other classes or be in the med-bay for the tests. I'm just one of the biotic theory and combat application teachers.”

 

“I know, I'm not saying that you aren't doing a good job. And the information about Margaret is helpful.” The blonde stood up with a sigh, “Once you have been here for an inspection then I can see about getting you higher clearance, the officials who oversee this facility are aware of your, background. They want assurances that you aren't going to go off reserve.”

 

Rila snorted as she fingered the collar that was disguised as an utilitarian choker around her neck, which in turn concealed a small but potent explosive, unable to keep the cynicism from her voice, “The fact that you can blow my head up at anytime doesn't fill them with confidence towards my cooperation? I'll work extra hard then so that they know what a good girl I am.”

 

The human shot her a sympathetic smile, “For what it's worth, I've already sent several recommendations for the collar to be removed, and honestly despite what you claim I think you will want to stay here if given the choice. Sometime teaching others can teach you something about yourself.”

 

Rila rolled her eyes, “And what has all this teaching you've been doing with me taught you?”

 

And it was impossible for her to miss the sudden sadness the flickered over the blonde's features, “That maybe it's never too late to fix a mistake you made a long time ago.”

 

S&S

 

The bay was mostly empty of life, the only three down there being herself, Garrus, and Wrex whom she had just set up a table in front of. Evalyn let out a groan as she pulled a crate over so that she could sit across from Wrex, the Krogan just grunted at her, “Got the cards?”

 

She scowled at him, “No I just set up this table because I felt like it, of course I have the damn cards.” She pulled out the deck of holo-cards, nicknamed as such because their faces could be calibrated to display whatever they had to for the game being played, at least as long as the game was coded into their memory.

 

“Garrus you know how to play Skyllian Five?” The Turian in question banged his fringe off the section of the Mako he was currently tinkering with, cursing as he stood up a taloned hand rubbing where he had hit the tank, an embarrassed grin on his face, “Some of the human's in C-Sec taught me the rules, but it has been a while.”

 

Wrex though tilted his head at her, “He still needs to pay the toll.” The blonde just scowled at him, “I'll buy him in, or he can just loot something from the cache we just took.”

 

“Toll?” The Turian's voice was caution, but curious at the same time, which was soon answered when Wrex reached down into the bag at his feet and slammed a huge pistol like weapon on the table. A toothy grin on his face, “Antique Krogan handgun, fires rockets instead of your prissy little bullets. Thresher's really don't like this baby.”

 

Evalyn just shifted off of the crate she was using as a chair and popped the latches, revealing a treasure trove of weapons and tech that Garrus had to assume she had collected from her targets over the years. She held a shotgun butt first to Garrus who took it tentatively, before she yanked out what looked to be a gauntlet like device.

 

“Garrus here is the proud, but temporary owner of a Hegemony issued 'pacifier.' Bloody thing is literally useless on armor, but it shreds anything made of tissue into very tiny pieces. I believe the slogan for it is something like, 'slaves only need to see it fire once.' Very charming people.”

 

Wrex nodded with some interested, before nudging the item she had placed on the table, “And this?”

 

“That is an Omni-Bow, had to agree to do a favor for Zaeed Massani to get this beauty.” She almost lovingly caressed the device, “But I just don't have a knack for it, so into the crate it went.”

 

“Why the hell did Massani have a Talon weapon?” The Krogan's guttural voice was inquisitive, understandably so given that the true veterans of merc work tended to all know each other, by reputation at the very least.

 

She gave a small shrug as she started to deal the cards, “He was wearing what looked to be a busted up suit of their armor too, I assume he went to the only person he could trust after that Santiago incident.” Wrex guffawed at that, “I wouldn't trust her as far as I can throw her, and she's tiny.”

 

She laughed along with him, “True, but Jessie is dependable, in her own morally bankrupt way. Still better than Sederis.” Wrex could only chortle at that statement, “She still claiming that you slept with her?” And her resulting scowl only caused him to laugh harder.

 

Garrus did a double take of the two of them, “Do you know every single merc leader in the galaxy?”

 

The blonde gave a tentative nod, “A lot of my assignments took me to the edges of C-Space, so it helps to have contacts. As for Sederis, we have history.”

 

Wrex chuckled, “What she means is that Shepard here went to war with Eclipse on Anhur, and Sederis lost.”

 

“Anhur, that was where the slave trade was legalized again right?” The Turian questioned as he studied his cards, receiving a pair of nods from the other two, “So I know that Eclipse was engaged by the Batarian's in that conflict, so you were fighting for the abolitionists?”

 

She snorted, “By fighting, you mean essentially running my own PMC then yes, I was.” She jerked her thumb at Wrex who had his cards clutched in his stubby fingers, “Wrex was there for the fun, I think the final fight was fifty of our best against two hundred Eclipse irregulars. Twelve of our guys walked away, none of Sederis' girls lived. I still keep tabs on our men, keep them out of trouble as thanks.”

 

Wrex scowled at his cards as he folded, reaching his now unencumbered hand over he took a swig of whatever was in the mug he was using, “We could use them here, but most of them were Anhur natives, people always fight harder when its their own land.”

 

Garrus frowned momentarily, “How does this work exactly? I mean we're not playing for credits as far as I can tell.”

 

Eva gave a small nod as she tossed two of her cards away, “When we play for items everyone has five hundred imaginary credits to wager with, I can pull out the chips if you want something to play with. Winner gets the toys, if you run out of chips you need to buy in with something else.”

 

Garrus gave a small nod as he threw one of his own cards into the middle of the table, taking the fresh one that Evalyn dealt to him, “So, do you guys just play for weapons?”

 

Wrex gave a rumbling chuckle at that, “Once had a Volus wager a moon. You know how hard it is to sell one of those things on the open market.”

 

Eva snorted, “'For sale, one moon. Contact Urdnot Wrex.' He didn't even list the location.” Wrex just shot a glare at her while he took another swig from his mug, “I still sold it, didn't I.”

 

“To me. That hardly counts.” Wrex just shrugged in response, “I don't care where the credits come from, as long as I get them.”

 

Garrus raised his wager, causing the blonde to eye him warily, “I think someone is better at this than he claimed.”

 

“Beginner's luck, Shepard.” The blonde let out an unconvinced hum as she tossed out another card in the hope to finish off the straight she was building toward. Keeping her face a mask as she inwardly scowled as she drew absolute junk from the deck, “Wrex, you mentioned that vault earlier reminded you of something?”

 

The Krogan smirked, “Ya, job I had long time ago. I was hired by this Volus diplomat to take out this hardass Asari mercenary, went by the name Aleena. We'd met prior a few times, both as allies and enemies, among other things.” He was hinting hard at something there, but neither her nor Garrus wanted the secret of a Krogan mercenaries love life, “but we always respected one another.”

 

He let out a long sigh, “But a job's a job, so we agreed to meet up in this dingy backwater station to finish things. We fought for days, hell I even ran out of ammo blocks for my weapons found myself forced to scavenge some of the station's residents weapons that they had left behind.”

 

He let out a dark chuckle, “They didn't seem to want to get caught in the crossfire between the two of us.”

 

He went silent for some time, “I ended up cornering her in the med-bay trying to patch herself, bonus of being a Krogan is the regeneration, but before I got to her the station's core started to go critical, I barely got out alive.”

 

His audience was watching him with rapt fascination, and Evalyn couldn't help but ask for the end, “And Aleena?”

 

The Krogan gave her a scowl, “I'm getting there. Like I said I barely get off that station alive, so I'm watching it tear itself apart, no pods, no shuttles, so I figure that I won.” He gave a sardonic chuckle at that statement, “Then, next thing I know my omni pings with a message, 'better luck next time...'” He let the words hang before he gave another bark of laughter, “Bitch always needed to get in the last word.”

 

Garrus laid down his cards causing a frustrated curse to emerge from the Spectre, “So, what about the diplomat.”

 

Wrex broke out into a toothy smile there, “I told him the truth, Aleena was still alive and she was really, really pissed. He ended up hiring me on as a bodyguard until he died, natural causes. Easiest job I ever had.”

 

The Krogan took another drink from his mug, “Now deal me in, I want that shotgun.”

 

S&S

 

Hannah stood in her quarters running the numbers again from the latest batch of tests on the thralls, they had lost two shipments in transit which bothered her, but that was why she had Miri off dealing with that pirate. Ensuring that their supplies made it to their bases of operation in this sector was crucial as this zone had a minimal Cerberus presence. Jack preferred to operate nearer to the edges of Batarian space in order to hide the atrocities committed by Cerberus, and she knew that he used the Batarian gladiator pits as a training ground for his more bloodthirsty agents.

 

She wondered how loyal 32 would be if she understood that Jack had left her in chains until he knew how skilled she was, hell Hannah was pretty sure he had waited until she had forgotten what her name was just so that she had no ties to anything but Cerberus.

 

She set down the datapad that she wasn't even looking at, no point in kidding herself when she was the only person in the room.

 

She glanced at the two pictures on her desk, one of her and Miranda, the other of the last family outing she and John had taken Eva on. She traced a finger over Evalyn's smile, the girl had long since stopped smiling when she saw her Mother, hell the fact the girl could smile at all was a testament to just how resilient she was..

 

Her eyes roved over to John, and she felt the same sense of melancholy, sadness, and anger she always felt, “At least you get to still be her hero, you don't have to deal with the disappointment that she can't quite hide, the unspoken statement that she will never trust you again.”

 

She reached over to grab the bottle she had stashed away for when this mood struck her when a light rumble shook her room while at the same time the lights flickered and died. Chemical based emergency lighting glowed thanks to having charged in the constant light the facility was normally bathed in, giving her the ability manually open her armor locker without fumbling around in the dark.

 

Thankfully hardsuit systems were hardened against EMP's so her suits systems flickered to life as she pulled on the last piece, before she leaned down to pull out the old but serviceable M-8 that she had kept with her since Shanxi.

 

As she made her way down to the command center the lights quickly flickered back to life, a quick test found that the base's comm network was still up, “Command this is Hannah, what the fuck just happened.”

 

A man's voice that she couldn't quite place responded, “Still working that out, boss. It appears that both our primary and secondary communication arrays are down, we have the local comms up but no way of communicating with anyone outside of this system. We're still trying to get the rest of our systems back online, it appears that the primary array was taken out by a small fusion device judging by the crater that our scouts are reporting.”

 

She bit out a curse and shifted direction from the command centre towards the office that Miranda had previously set up shop in, “Send a team to make sure that Lawson's office is clear, I need to get something from it and I don't want to get ambushed.”

 

“Yes, Ma'am, diverting them now.”

 

She jogged through halls that were in various stages of rebooting, forcibly having to open some, while others opened as she approached. The last doorway she found already had two of her men waiting for her, their uniformly dark armor easy to spot against the shadows.

 

“Area is secure, Ma'am.” She gave a brief nod, and the other tentatively spoke their mind, “Is this a Cerberus attack, Ma'am?”

 

She leveled a cool look at him, “I don't know at this point, we're still getting the base's systems back up, though I do believe that if this was Jack he would have been a bit more subtle.” She strode by the two and quickly began to rummage through Miranda's office until she found the panel she was looking for.

 

“Please be still working.” She repeated the mantra until the device she was freed of its confinement, and as the blinking lights on the QEC beacon flickered to life she let out a relieved sigh, as she quickly went to work tapping an emergency transmission to the other device built on to the Nova.

 

They were currently developing a more advanced model that would enable instant holographic transmissions, but for now she had to make due with Morse as she quickly belted out the code that she and Miri had set up.

 

Her comm crackled to life as she was still tapping out the message, “Ma'am, we've got numerous ships inbound, one matches Asari profiles but the others, the others look like they're Geth, Ma'am.” Her hand stopped involuntarily, if they were Geth then that meant Saren, and Saren would only be here if it benefited whatever the hell he was up to right now.

 

And so she switched to a different code, countermanding the previous order instead ordering her to stay the hell away. She was not letting either one of her daughters to be killed by that lunatic Turian.

 

She frowned as a dull thump sounded in the hall, her own reflexes honed by years of training and paranoia kicking in, barking at the man standing guard at the door, “Get down soldier!”

 

But he was too slow, and she had alerted whatever hostile was out there, the response was instantaneous as a loud retort filled the area and her man now slumped to the floor a massive hole taking up the center of his helmet.

 

She growled as she opened fire at the doorway, gaping a little as the rounds seemed to bounce off nothing until suddenly there was a black Geth standing there a massive rifle held in its synthetic hands, complete undamaged as the attack from her rifle having done little more than to chip some of its paint.

 

“Attack power is insufficient to harm this platform, surrender the location of the Thrall specimens.” She spat out a curse as she grabbed for the heavier pistol on her hip, but the thing was fast, grasping her arm at an awkward angle before her pistol could even unfold in her hand.

 

The synthetics head flaps seemed to flare, almost like it was annoyed at her attempt to kill it, “Extranet sources state that an applied force of ten human pounds can result in breakage of primary actuator in arm.”

 

And then with a swift motion she found herself screaming as the metal creature snapped her elbow like a twig, “Verified. Interrogation does not require subject to be fully functional , further resistance will result in continued damage to human platform.”

 

Managing the pain she spat out at the machine, “Go fuck yourself.”

 

“We are incapable of performing that anatomical feat.” The machine made to drag her outside the room before it noticed the still open QEC panel behind her, “Quantam entanglement device, controls match that of human communication cipher Morse. Likely usage, warning sent to secondary target Shepard-Catalyst.”

 

The platform seemed to pause as if thinking, before suddenly it slammed a metal fist into her jaw causing her to slump against the wall dazed as it went to work smashing the panel.

 

Hannah could only vainly attempt to struggle to her feat, but she only made it two within an arm's length of her pistol by the time she found herself being dragged out of the room by the machine.

 

S&S

 

Shepard scowled at the Turian who was much too pleased with himself, Wrex was already out of the game, refusing to buy back in as he had no want to play with a, “Maw spawned card cheat.” A statement that had only earned a shrug and a grin from the Turian.

 

Liara had come down to join them, and was perched on the edge of the crate near Evalyn, though the blonde was almost certain that Li was trying to make her lose as payback for, well a lot of things she supposed.

 

Though her though process went out the window as Liara ran a hand along her thigh, causing the human to whine, “Li, not in front of the card shark.”

 

Evalyn was certain that she had Garrus when suddenly a priority alert began to flash in her hud, as a message from Miranda came through without any of their usual safeguards, she pushed her cards into Liara's hands as she stepped away from the table, “Just give me a moment.” Walking to the edge of the bay so she could have some privacy.

 

And just as soon as she had pinged her sister did the raven haired woman appear, “Miri? What the hell is going on?” And it was obvious that something was wrong, the usually composed woman was actually chewing on one of her expertly done nails. Her eyes filled with nervousness and fear, her normally perfectly calm voice cracking as she spoke, “It's Mom, she was overseeing a base transfer, and I just got a distress signal, only to be sent a do not engage signal.” The older woman let out a shaky breath.

 

Miranda just shook her head, “I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to go and try to save her, I'm uploading you coordinates where we can meet. Then I'll come aboard the Normandy and give you the coordinates to the station.”

 

Eva frowned, “Wouldn't it be easier to just give me the coordinates? My ship is one of the fastest in C-Space we could get there sooner.”

 

“No!” Miranda's emotionally charged answer cut her off, “She is my Mother too, and I won't hear what happened to her second hand, not even from you Eva!” The raven haired woman's eyes were wide with both fear and rage.

 

“I understand. I'm sorry Miri, I, I know that you two are closer to each other than you are to me, I sometimes forget that.” The older woman gave her a sad smile, “She's your Mother Eva, I understand you reacting the way you do.”

 

And Evalyn had to turn her head away so that she wasn't looking into her older sister's eyes, “She's just as much your Mother as mine, maybe even more so.” She turned back to the screen on her omni, “We'll get her back, and if we can't.” She paused as both women considered the statement, “And if we can't, we kill every last person in that base until we find out how this happened. And then we kill the people who were behind it. No one fucks with our family anymore.”

 

And Miranda's gaze held the same angry fire that she was sure her own did, “Agreed.”

 

As she cut the call she strode out of the room, “Deal me out, you win Garrus.” Already barking orders at Joker before the lift began to ascend, “Joker I have coordinates for you, I want you to push the engines for all they've got.”

 

“Super secret Spectre mision?” She frowned realizing the shitstorm she could get in here, but frankly it didn't matter at this moment, “No, its personal.”

 

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit Song: Ready or not(I'm coming) by OOMPH!
> 
> First of all, I'm never writing another Legion scene again, ever. That small section took nearly the same amount of time to write as the rest of the chapter together. But thanks to Logical Premise for giving me some tips on how to write from the Geth perspective, even if I don't really think it came out that great.


	13. Edge of the Abyss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have also once again commissioned artwork by the ever talented NikitaFrost (formerly NikitaStewart) so look forward to seeing Eva in her combat getup eventually. I'm not expecting it until after December or January because she is a busy individual, but I'm looking forward to it.

S&S

 

A hush fell over the throng of reporters as the Prime Minister of the Systems Alliance made his way to the podium. The platform itself was set up on the location where the Prothean beacon had self-destructed, as well as to give an unobstructed view the damage done to the city of Constant behind him.

 

The PM had been traveling across the planet for the last several days, and now was the time to feed the press that had so voraciously tailed him during this time. As he stepped up to the podium his face projected a calm hopefulness, “I'd like to send my thanks to our fifth estate who have shown a great deal of respect for the people of Eden Prime, both those who are still with us and those who we continue to mourn. But of course all of you still have your own duty to our great system, so let us begin.” At that he nodded to his press secretary who quickly stated a name.

 

A man rose from the back of the group, “Mathew Forrester, EBC. What do you say to your opponents who claim that had we kept this discovery in house, that this attack could have been avoided.”

 

“I know that some of my detractors like to believe that we as a species have all the answers, but the simple truth is that we did not, and likely will not for quite some time. The fact is we do not possess the skills to access Prothean technology that the rest of the Council races do. Many forget that the data cache was discovered on Mars was designed for us to easily operate, something that we have learned is the exception, not the norm.” He paused for a moment, before hardening his tone, “We knew as a species that it would have been safer to never open the Charon relay, but we did it anyway. Some would like to believe they can rewind the clock, but I say it is a fool who only looks backwards for answers, or for arguments.” The last statement earned a few sporadic chuckles, but not many, and not enough to delay the next name being called.

 

The next reporter stood, a rather young woman for his press corps, “Emily Wong, CNN. Evalyn Shepard, then of course operating undercover, was involvement in the Eden Prime mission was an edict from your own office, were you aware of her identity at the time?”

 

“The Commander's status was a closed secret between the Ambassador, the Council, and a select handful of our military's upper echelon. The Council simply contacted both myself and the President with the intent of supplying us with the most effective agent possible for this situation. And I for one am glad to know that when it comes to humanity Evalyn Shepard was viewed as the best choice.”

 

An obviously local man stood up next, “Dan Snipes, The Daily Constant. When will Eden Prime start seeing some resources come in to help in the reconstruction? As an Alliance world it is exclusively in the hands of the SA for us to receive the means through which to repair the damage done in the attack.”

 

Shastri gave a sympathetic nod, “And I can assure the people of Eden Prime that help is coming, even as we speak the Minister of Agriculture is hard at work ensuring that all those whose livelihoods are currently at risk will be able to get back to work and normalcy.”

 

The sudden approach of one of the PM's aides delayed the next question, and it was unmistakable that the news was not good as the head of the Government turned back around to the podium, “I'm terribly sorry but pressing business calls me, Marissa Tomar will answer any further questions you have.” With that the man quickly left, his guards flanking after him as the Deputy Prime Minister made her way to the podium to attempt to wrangle in the now volatile cadre of reporters.

 

S&S

 

Commander Addison suppressed the urge to wretch as she attempted to remove the remains of one of the techs from her hardsuit, they had stumbled across the unfortunate soul that now coated her suit in one of the waiting rooms off the side of the main testing facility. But he had been squashed to the consistency of jelly after one of those heavy mechs had dropped from the floor above, directly landing on to the head of the technician.

 

A sole drone illuminated by white light was attempting to lead them through the facility, the only assistance EDI could spare them as she fought to keep Dauntless from activating the more powerful countermeasures.

 

Giving the task up for hopeless she strode over to EDI, ignoring the trail of blood and flesh she left in her wake, “EDI, how much further until we breach the cores outer defenses?”

 

The drone's features were not capable of showing emotion, but as it turned toward her the units stance told her how confused the A.I was by her question, Cora could only thank God that EDI had yet to try and exact some plan for revenge, and pray that this whole debacle was not some grand conspiracy of the A.I's devising.

 

Finally the drone gave an almost exasperated shake of what passed for its head, “Dauntless forces currently outnumber you by a factor of 30 to 1. I have run 9000 simulations for your assault on its defenses, in three you survive to see the inner defenses, you succeed in none of them.”

 

Cora just sighed as she hefted up the grenade launcher in her hands, “EDI, we still have to try.”

 

The almost childish voice just sounded confused, “Why do you want to die, there is no statistical chance for your survival.”

 

She hardened her features under her helmet, “Because if we don't try then a hell of a lot of people are going to die once this thing hooks itself up to the bases GTS defenses.” She turned to make her way to the doorway, “Come on marines! Time to make some scrap!”

 

The marines echoed a shout behind her as they charged along the path that EDI's drone led them on, only for the drone to suddenly collapse as a heavy accelerator round ripped into it, sending fragments of shrapnel pinging off of the Commander's armor.

 

“Primary target: acquired.” The heavily synthesized voice was projected from a force of D-Drones making their way towards them, but they were shredded as her marines reacted to her shout of, “Light em up!”

 

One of the less damaged drones suddenly flickered white as EDI hacked her way into it, “Dauntless is still focused on gaining access to the primary network, but it is now dispatching units to assault my own core.” The drone reached out and suddenly her HUD flickered as her local map suddenly flashed with EDI's most current predictions, the A.I's voice explained the action it had just taken, “I need to focus my attention on restraining Dauntless and protecting myself. Good luck, Commander.”

 

And with that the drone tumbled to the ground in a heap, causing Cora to sigh, “Shit can never be simple.”

 

She glanced back at her soldiers, “We're going to do a staggered advance, Dauntless has a lot of heavy ordinance to throw at us. Focus on the aerial drones first if you can, and if possible avoid those heavies. They're prototypes that can barely move, but any one of their weapon systems will take you out.”

 

She held out her arm which glowed from her omni, EDI's map flashing in front of her, “The Dauntless core is roughly in the north-western portion of the facility. The doors look like they are hardened but it is just for show, any of the demo charges that we grabbed can take it out.” A sudden stomp caused them all to tense, so she began to hurry, “Don't try to destroy the core, it is too heavily protected. Instead cut the hardlines in the floor, and on the walls. The only thing that Dauntless can link up to through wireless communications is its drones, and without the resources it is utilizing through the hardlines it won't be able to keep all these drones operational.”

 

Before she could tell them to move out the bulkhead she was standing next to suddenly buckled as one of the massive bone white heavy mechs charged into her men, Cora herself was thrown across the hall and into the bulkhead opposite, her vision swimming from the collision.

 

She managed to raise her still spinning head up, and she could only stare in horror as the mech's frontal panels popped open, “Resistance detected: rectifying,” and as the dozens of guided missiles struck forth her small strike force was halved in a single attack.

 

She hefted the grenade launcher that was on the floor next to her, and fired from her prone position, cursing as the first round only caught the unit in its shoulder, something that only caused it to turn to face her.

 

Her second and third shot hit the intended target but the mech kept walking forward, “Attack: ineffective. Resistance: futile.” And it wasn't until the forth hit home that she breached the ordinance chamber in the mech's torso, causing it to suddenly, and violently, explode as the ammunition inside cooked off.

 

She gave her head another shake as she used both her launcher and the wall to prop herself up, shouting to her still alive marines, “Get whatever ordinance you can salvage off our guys, it's grim but if we have a hope in hell of surviving we'll need everything we can get our hands on.” As her men got to work on that she glanced at the wrecked mech parts around her, before turning to face one of the facilities camera's that was trained on her, “I designed these mech's Dauntless, did you not stop to consider that.”

 

One of her remaining men moved over to her, “Ma'am, there is only myself, Jones, Masby, and yourself. Do, do you think this is wise?”

 

She gave a kick to the still mostly intact mech head, “Wise? No, no this isn't wise. But I still need to try to fix this mistake, if you and your men want to leave you can, but I'm not.”

 

One of the marines, she didn't know why one, shouted from further back, “Fuck that.” Which was met with nods of agreement from the others, prompting the man who had spoken to her first to shrug, “Never could stomach the idea of running from a fight.”

 

She gave him a nod of thanks, and with that she and her quartet took off deeper into the facility.

 

S&S

 

Evalyn was standing next to Joker when the Normandy performed her final jump to the rendezvous, and the sight before them caused Joker to suddenly attempt evasive maneuvers as the Nova popped up on sensors, “Commander, I think this is a trap!”

 

She couldn't contain the crazed bark of laughter as her nerves were beginning to buckle under the strain, “It's alright, Joker. She's friendly.”

 

“Friendly? It doesn't look friendly to me.” She tapped the comm panel in front of her, “Nova actual, this is Normandy actual, you there Solheim?”

 

A response was almost immediate, “Normandy actual, this is Nova's XO. Solheim just boarded a shuttle to transit over to you. We'll hold at this position until she sends us further orders.”

 

Joker glanced at his instruments, “They are launching a shuttle, just stating for the record, because kind of in the dark here. Have I mentioned I don't like this plan?”

 

She glanced down at him, “I never asked for you to like it.” And with that she spun to face the airlock, not missing that Liara was now standing opposite of her, an obvious frown on her lips. “I seem to recall that this Solheim was close to your Mother.”

 

The unspoken question went unanswered as she waited for the airlock to open, and when the door finally slid open to reveal a barely holding together Miranda and two armored individuals accompanying her Evalyn simply gestured for them to follow her to the lift, Liara trailing behind the small group.

 

The trip in the lift was as quiet as it was awkward, and ss they came to the crew level she glanced at the two following Miri pointing towards the mess table, “You two sit at that table and don't move.” She quickly tapped a message to Kaidan asking him to send someone up to the mess hall to watch the pair, and an affirmative followed shortly thereafter from the Lieutenant.

 

With that done she and Miranda stepped into her quarters, and the moment the door shut Miranda let out a choked sob, “This is my fault!”

 

Evalyn froze, and timidly wrapped her arms around the older woman's slumped armored form mirroring how her Mother used to try and calm her down, “You were in no position to help, it's not like you failed her, hell for all we know she's having such fun kicking ass that she just forget to send an all clear.”

 

Miri gave a small laugh that was quickly broken by sobs again, and with a sigh Eva place her hand under the woman's chin, forcing her to look into the blonde's eyes. “Miri, I know that you need to let this out, but right now you to focus on telling me the coordinates.”

 

Miri's eyes blinked for a few moments before understanding flickered in them and in seconds she was furiously activating her omni, the distraction allowing her to push through the paralyzing effects of the despair that still clung to her.

 

And seconds later Eva' omni pinged, and she was quickly forwarding them to Joker, “Joker best speed to these coordinates, and make sure the IES is active when we arrive.” She didn't bother to listen for his reply and instead turned to look back at Miranda, who while she was still occasionally wracked by a sob was starring at her with confusion.

 

“W-why am I the mess, she's your fucking mother too.” And Eva could only tilt her head at Miranda, the cursing just seemed so out of character for her. But finally she took in a steadying breath before she began to speak, “This type of thing doesn't phase me anymore, I mean think about it. My Father literally exploded in front of me, I then proceeded to watch nearly every member of my graduating class die, only to have my own unit massacred on Akuze.” She let out a now much more shaky breath, “I'm worried, trust me, and I have no idea how I may react if the worst comes to pass, but I guess I just don't have it in me anymore.”

 

At that she suddenly gave out a bark of manic laughter, “Christ, maybe those Terra Firma idiots are right and my soul is dying.”

 

Miranda let out a soft sigh, “You can't really believe that can you?” And Evalyn couldn't bring herself to lock gazes with her, instead choosing to stare blankly at the door, “Why not? Has to be something that explains why I've been so fucked since Akuze.”

 

She was silent before she let out a half whispered confession, “You know I'm always kind of angry now. I, I don't remember being like that before, but now, now it's always there.” She let out an uncharacteristic giggle that quickly morphed into a sob, “She always thought I'd turn into a monster. After Dad died she'd stare at me whenever I wasn't looking, like she was trying to remember me before I turned into some cybernetic beast.”

 

A gauntlet engulfed hand landing on her shoulder caused her to jump, and she found herself being drawn into what was probably the least comfortable hug of her life given Miranda's armor, but she found herself just accepting the silent comfort as the two of them just tried to support each other.

 

Finally though Eva began to giggle, causing Miranda to glance at her in confusion, which of course only caused her to giggle more setting off the raven haired woman as well. By the end the two of them were breathless on the ground as they shook from the sudden emotional whiplash, Eva's lips parted as a whispered statement left her lips, “We're really bad at this emotional shit.”

 

A statement that caused a quirk of Miranda's lips, “Ice queens don't thaw well.” Which just set off another round of giggles from the blonde, before she finally sighed.

 

“I need to talk to my guys, I'm not ordering them to charge a terrorist facility just to save my Mother.” She pulled herself up, gesturing at the bed, “Get some rest if you can, I'll be back soon.”

 

Miranda nodded, but sat down at the desk instead of the bed, “I might try and do some work,” she paused briefly before admitting, “I don't think I can sleep in my current state.”

 

And Evalyn shot her what she hoped was a sympathetic smile, “Try, please.”

 

S&S

 

The meeting room at the heart of Alliance command only held two flesh and blood parties, as both Admiral Hackett and Admiral Shepard were on hand to deal with the increasingly desperate situation on Luna. They were joined by the Prime Minister through holographic representation, as well as the head of Minister of Defense Nathan Tolliver who was joining them solely via audio as he was off surveying the nearly complete Juno, the second of the Jupiter class.

 

Shastri just uttered a sigh as he finally connected, “Alright, bring me up to speed. I had to leave in the middle of a press gallery meeting, so trust me people are trying to figure out what has gone wrong”

 

Hackett nodded as he began, “At roughly 10:00 local time the Dauntless project began preliminary tests of their new advanced V.I. Initial tests were positive, and the intelligence showed no instabilities as it went through initial tests.”

 

A scoff from speaker in the middle of the table showed Tolliver's opinion of the testing, “How about we get to the part where it has killed at least seventeen humans, for some reason I thought that preliminary testing was meant to stop events like that from happening.”

 

Shastri's image scowled but everyone in the room had to concede that he had a point. Hackett though continued as if the interruption had never happened, “Upon the activation of a mock invasion of the facility the V.I exhibited several markers that were alarming, but not outright dangerous.”

 

“How so?” The Prime Minister's eyes bored into the Admiral, “It was weighing the hypothetical lives of the humans in the exercise lower than its own safety, I have been informed that this isn't entirely uncommon as the V.I was designed to defend these stations without a human presence. Simple oversight I've been told.”

 

Harrison shook his head, “You just can't help yourselves can you, eventually you are going to make one of these monstrosities and they are going to get out of their cage.”

 

And as the speaker crackled on the table in agreement. “Finally, a man who speaks with the sense that God gave him.”

 

Hackett sighed, “I understand that both of you were not in your positions when this program was put in place, but this level of failure is not something that just happens. This was planned.”

 

Shastri had by this point started to rub his temples, “Is this an external matter, or has the dog finally decided to bite back after we kicked it out of the house?.”

 

Harrison's pointed look at Hackett sold the fact that he was still on the Old Man's shit list, as up until a little under a year ago contact with Cerberus had still been the norm for those in the loop in the Alliance. At least until the Council had passed along intel that the organization was mounting a massive armament campaign, literally creating an army out of those who were disenfranchised with the SA.

 

The A.I fragment that would eventually become EDI had actually been the last gift they had received from the terrorist group, the scarred Admiral could only shake his head, “Given the isolation of the Luna facility, and the limited spread of the data involved we are likely looking at a human saboteur. We suspect that during the prep time for the invasion protocol they connected the Dauntless program to the facilities closed network.”

 

Tolliver crackled into the conversation once more, “So when do we blow the base, all the Luna facilities have explosives built into them for this purpose.”

 

Shastri looked like he wanted to strangle the man, “We can't simply blow off a chunk of Luna, the press would have a field day and we would be made accountable for it, not to mention the support it would drum up for Terra Firma. They are opposed to any research into intelligence, virtual or otherwise,” the man added as a mumbled afterthought, “If it was up to them we'd be banging rocks together to make fire.”

 

Harrison none too gently added, “Let's not forget that we have people still in that facility. I can't condone a plan that will cost us good lives when we have any other options open.”

 

“The damn thing has control of the GTS defenses, or at the very least will soon, how exactly do you plan on getting them out of there? Ask them to walk until they get out of the hot zone?” The mocking speaker was increasingly gaining the ire of the whole room, but as Shastri's face lit up with an idea he tentatively spoke, “The Normandy could get past those defenses, and it would be an excellent exercise to test Evalyn's loyalties.”

 

But the statement brought an uncomfortable glance that was shared between the two Admirals, and finally Hackett spoke conceding that this was more his mess than Harrison's, “The A.I that was slaved to Dauntless,well, it's one of Evalyn's. She doesn't know it right now, but the moment she sees the thing's code she will, and well we all know her rather vocal stance on the rights of synthetics.”

 

“The Normandy also dropped out of our communication net, so she's either well out of SA territory, or they are purposely blocking hails right now.” Harrison added, before continuing, “My guess is she is likely on an assignment, so far such blackouts have only lasted a day at most, normally eight hours seems to be the average.”

 

“So they just have to survive between eight hours to a day, plus travel time? There is a statement that fills me with confidence when it comes to our military leadership,” before a response could be leveled the speaker crackled again, “I understand that all of you have known the girl since she was a babe, but she is using prototype Alliance technology like it is her own glorified shuttle. And when she gets back to Arc she is going to be made to understand that the tail does not wag the fucking dog.”

 

As the Defense minister disconnected Harrison leveled a glare at Shastri, “He's in charge of the defense portfolio?”

 

S&S

 

As the last of her ground team made their way into the room Evalyn ran through the eighth possible scenario for how this was going to turn out, each of them had been worse than the last in her mind. Glancing up from her now standard position in the rear of the room she sighed, “Alright, first off this mission is off the record, and possibly career damaging to those in the SA so if you guys want to bow out, now is the time.”

 

Jack just snorted in response, though her still injured shoulder meant that it was unlikely for her to be involved. Ash just shot her a smirk, “Not like I can fall much farther, Ma'am,” a statement that elicited a mirrored smirk on the Spectre.

 

Kaidan for his part was silent, before he gave her a small nod, “I'm in, but I assume we can leave the marines out of this? Limit the damage.” Evalyn breathed out a small sigh of relief, and shot him an affirming nod.

 

“As I'm sure you are all aware we just picked up some passengers, they're members of Orthus.” That caused some mumbles but she held up her hand for quiet, “For those who aren't in the know, Orthus is a group made out of Cerberus deserters who disagreed with the organizations practices, though if I'm being truthful they are only marginally better than Cerberus.”

 

“Great, so we're fucking working with Cerberus lite?” Eva shot Jack a glare that screamed that they would talk later, and the biotic shifted uncomfortably under the mismatched gaze.

 

The blonde let out a huff as she tried to figure out how to explain why she was doing this, “I, I have a personal connection in this matter. The head of Orthus is presumed captured, we don't know by who, and the last message she managed to send indicated that it was an extreme threat.” She paused for a few moments before she found her voice again, “She's also my Mother, Hannah Shepard.”

 

There was no sound before a chuckle emerged from Wrex, “Didn't see that coming.”

 

She noticed both of her Alliance crew members confused faces, and so the Spectre clarified, “The Alliance faked the report of her death, it was viewed as less compromising to just pretend she was dead than to admit they had a Cerberus officer that close to the Admiralty.”

 

Jack gave a disgusted shake of her head, “Great, I'm so fucking glad you convinced me to join up,” her anger quickly seemed to deflate as she met the Spectre's gaze, so she settled for sinking down in her seat muttering, “We're having a damn pow wow after this.”

 

Evalyn gave her a silent nod of agreement as she waited for any other questions, and surprisingly it was Liara who spoke next, “Why exactly are we trusting this Orthus, I understand that they are connected to your Mother but as you have said she didn't contact you. For all we know this could be some trap by Cerberus using forces they know you would trust.”

 

A frown crossed the blonde's features as she ran her hands through her hair to hide her frustration, “I trust them, as long as you guys trust me in turn that should be enough.” She paced away from Liara not wanting to spiral into an argument with her in the middle of a briefing, but the Asari's voice followed her, “But why do you trust her, I am just curious as to what she managed to do since we, parted, that has made her your confidant. Did she replace me after I left?”

 

“She's my Sister!” Evalyn cringed when she realized she had just shouted across the room, before repeating again in a substantially calmer tone, “She's my sister. Mom adopted her, we've bonded over the last half a year or so.”

 

Jack snickered from her seat, “Shit, Blue, you thought you had a rival now you've got an in-law,” her eyes suddenly flashed, “What, is this fucking Solheim we're talking about?” And she must have gotten the acknowledgment she needed out of Evalyn's reaction because her snicker turned into a cackle, “Good fucking luck, Blue. Solheim is the bitchiest blowup doll I've ever met.”

 

Eva had buried her head in her hands, mumbling more to herself than to anyone else, “Does anyone actually have a question about this operation? Because my fucked up family tree is not up for further discussion.”

 

Garrus gave a small cough, “I presume we have the station layout? Do we have infiltration and extraction points already mapped out?”

 

“Yes to everything, I just need to know who is willing to come. The plan is already done I just need to assemble the team.” She waited a few more moments, “Alright, that's it.” She pointed a finger at Jack, “Stay,” before turning and looking at Ash and Kaidan, “If you guys don't want to participate I understand, just let me know your final decision soon.”

 

And as the two of them nodded she and Jack waited for the room to clear out. The moment the door shut behind the last of the team the smaller girl slammed her fist into her jaw, “Fuck you, Shepard!”

 

Eva didn't react, instead she let the girl ineffectually strike her until a sob broke through, “Am I just some fucking pity project? Making up for the fact your Mother was one of the ones who did this shit to me?”

 

The blonde was silent, starring into space for some time, “No, and yes.”

 

Jack glared at her but didn't say anything, so Eva continued, “When I first met you, I had no idea of any of this. I only knew that you had a connection to Cerberus that I could exploit, and while I had some fondness for you, you were an asset little more.” The blonde sighed looking directly at the younger woman, “I wasn't in a good place at the time. I, I did some things that crossed lines that I hadn't ever planned on crossing. I created a device that I can only call evil, simply so that I could get closer to Cerberus, closer to the people who sacrificed my men in some twisted experiment.”

 

A dark chuckle came from her lips, “And then I find out that Mom was a dog, but not only that, she was one of the founders. She had been with Cerberus for longer than I had been alive, and I like some naive idiot had failed to see it.” She shook her head, “I'm smart, some used to say a prodigy, but we all have blinders when it comes to family.”

 

“So after I found out what she had done, yes it changed how I viewed you. I wanted to try and help you but well I fucked that up to I suppose.” The blonde's voice practically changed to a growl as she realized how badly she had gone about the task, “Fuck, I never even thought to look for your family, I just thought what would be the most efficient way for you to get your life on track, and the SA was the group most likely to accept you even with your past.”

 

Jack's lips twisted in a sad frown, and she grabbed the Spectre's left arm with her uninjured hand, “Hey, I never said you haven't done right by me. Sure they found my family, but that doesn't mean I want my family to meet, well, me.” Her final statement was whispered and Evalyn couldn't help but wrap the smaller woman in a hug.

 

“Of course they'll want to meet you, and if not, fuck em.” That earned both a sob and a chuckle from the biotic, “You're stating to sound like me, Shep. Guess I'm a bad influence.”

 

“The worst.”

 

S&S

 

A few hours later and Joker's voice sounded in her inner ear, “Commander, um, you're going to want to see this.” Evalyn muttered a curse on whomever built the lift on this ship, as she replied to Joker, “Ya, I'm kind of held up in the lift. Give me a couple of minutes,” before muttering to herself, “or hours.”

 

As the doors swung open she jogged up the stairs, glancing at Pressley in the C.I.C, “What are we looking at?” The older man tapped the datapad in his hand causing the central projector to display a tactical grid, one section in particular the navigator brought her attention to.

 

“This is where you asked me to monitor, and we're seeing numerous signals from ships around one of the larger asteroids. The signals are Geth, Ma'am.”

 

Eva's mind was already working at full speed, as the presence of the synthetics changed everything. This was no longer some spat between Cerberus and Orthus like she had believed, this was potentially them catching Saren unawares, “Contact Kaidan, tell him to get the marines ready for combat.” She went to leave before she skidded to a halt, “Was there anything else, Pressley?”

 

The man nodded, “It looks like a fusion device was set off on the asteroid's surface from our readings, so I wouldn't expect to find much operable equipment if the Geth attacked while the base was recovering.”

 

The blonde let out an exasperated sigh but nodded her thanks, “Good job, XO.” She barely registered his nod as she sprinted back to the lift, her foot impatiently tapping as she made her way down to the cargo hold.

 

Kaidan saw her exit the lift and made his way to her, but her response cut him off before he could speak, “We have Geth signals coming from around the base, which means that we have the potential advantage here,” which she followed up with a small shrug, “Or it is a trap, either or.” She stopped to look Kaidan dead on, “I need to know if these men can handle it, or if I should leave them behind. You've worked with them for longer, so I'm trusting your judgment here.”

 

“They're ready, Ma'am. Or at least as ready as anyone can be for this.”

 

She gave him a nod, “Kit them all out with tungsten ammo blocks, or ask Tali to mod their weapons with disruptor rounds if she can spare the time.”

 

Kaidan ran off to see to her orders while she began to haul on her armor, before pulling out one of the crates she brought with her, shoving the lid off as she popped the latches remotely.

 

Inside was a treasure trove of ordinance, though the first thing she did was pull off her explosive charges and place them inside. The threat of decompression on a station held no threat to the Geth, while it would be certain death to her soldiers if their suits were compromised.

 

She pulled out several small micro-turrets based on a design she had used during her earlier years as a Spectre, setting them in the now empty slots on her waist. She was about to shut the lid when Pressley's voice sounded in her ear, “Ma'am, we're in range now that we have a visual on the base. In addition to the Geth, there appears to be a sole Asari vessel, 'The Guiding Hand.'

 

It took approximately three seconds for her Graybox to pull the information on the ship, and Evalyn was torn between exhilaration that they had caught Benezia in action and worry for how Liara was going to react.

 

“Thank you, Pressley. That ship is one of Benezia's, if we're lucky we may be able to cripple Saren's plans here and now.” She was quite for a few moments, “Can you pleased tell Liara to meet me down here?”

 

Her hands moved of their own accord, grabbing several flashbangs from the crate along with a duo of damping grenades. The devices themselves had no outward markings, and numerous false buttons, a trick that she had learned from Nihlus to make it harder for people to use your own weapons against you.

 

She was slipping a lone nannite tube into her armor slot when Liara walked into the bay, her eyes lighting with worry when she saw what the Spectre was taking with her, “Evalyn? What's wrong? You've never taken that into the field before, you were worried about if you lost control of them.”

 

The blonde nodded but kept her gaze fixed on the tube in her hand, “Your Mother is on the station, Liara. I'm going to try to take her alive, but, well she's a Matriarch.” The maiden sighed, “And you are worried that you will have to kill her?”

 

The blonde couldn't help but throw back her head and laugh, “I'm worried that she's going to kill me.” She was thankful that her synthetic arm never shook or she would have dropped the tube by now, “I can deal with pirates, terrorists, other Spectres, but a fucking Matriarch? I'm not a biotic powerhouse like you, and well shit you know me. I like to lure people in to traps of my own choosing, and I'm starting to worry that this is all just a setup.”

 

Liara gave a small nod, “Then I'm coming with you, I'm certain that you can get one of your ridiculous human suits modified for my use quickly.”

 

“Liara you aren't coming, I won't let you put yourself in harms way!” She had pulled herself to a standing position, glaring down at the Asari. But to Liara's credit she just starred the Commander down, “My Mother will have her acolytes, and while they are all skilled biotics I am better. I will not lose you Evalyn, and if that means facing Benezia in combat, then that is what I will do.” She turned away and looked pointedly at one of the spare hardsuits in the bay, “Now I believe that you have a deadline to meet.”

 

S&S

 

“You understand the plan, LT?” The biotic nodded from his postion in the rear of the Mako, the two senior NCO's were up in the cockpit while the rest of the squad, along with Tali and Garrus sat in the back.

 

“We land on the surface and use the tank to fight our way to the main hanger, we establish a beachhead in order to lure the enemy away from your infiltration of the upper levels of the base.”

 

The blonde nodded as she pulled on her helmet, “Just remember that if it gets too hot you are to pull back and call the Normandy for pickup. Joker is going to be on standby because I have a feeling that this is going to be a hot extraction.”

 

The Lieutenant nodded as he palmed the panel causing the tank to close up, warning lights flashed in the bay as the ramp slid open, the Mako noiselessly rolling out as the lack of atmosphere didn't allow any noise to be generated.

 

She glanced back at her small infiltration team, Miranda, Wrex, the two Orthus guards, and Liara who was wearing an Alliance hardsuit with a modified helmet for her use.

 

“Joker will drop us off next then hide the Normandy in the asteroid field.” Miranda shook her head, “You should have let me call in the Nova, even if it arrived later it could cut off Benezia's escape.” But the Spectre simply shook her head, “We don't know if that monster ship is lurking nearby, and so far the Normandy is the only ship it hasn't blown out of the sky so we have to assume that the stealth system is effective against it.”

 

“Or it was luck.” The younger of the two shrugged, “Luck, tech, or fate, doesn't matter we both know that Mom wouldn't want the lives of everyone on that ship risked for her.”

 

Joker's voice on the comms ended the discussion, “Coming up to your drop point, just a heads up but it looks like our friends might have used this entrance too.”

 

The Normandy in Jeff's hands spun on a dime allowing the group to jump from the ramp and on to a rocky outcropping near their entrance, “Wrex and I will be up front, Li and Miri in the middle, Orthus guys watch our rear.”

 

Kaidan's voice crackled in her ear, 'Ma'am, we've encountered the Geth already. Some of them are new models, their armor isn't thicker but it took the Mako to take one of them down.'

 

“Understood, Tali have anything to add on it?” There was silence for a few moments before his reply came, 'She only said that she's never seen anything like it, she seems to think it must be a non-Geth technology that they are applying to their combat platforms.'

 

“Alright, great, just great.” She kept moving but spoke as she did so, “Some of the Geth encountered so far are more advanced than previous models, if you spot on that looks different from the models we've encountered so far go for a biotic or tech takedown, failing that use the biggest gun you have.” A chorus of affirmatives came from those behind her as they made their way deeper into the facility.

 

S&S

 

Cora let out a shout of frustration and rage as the door Dauntless had herded them through shut behind them, “What fucking game are you playing at! Malfunctioning piece of scrap!”

 

One of her two remaining marines collapsed heavily to the floor, popping off his chest panel so that he could apply a medi-gel application to a through and through he had sustained. “Ma'am, with all due respect, stop pissing off the death robots.”

 

She frowned as she saw her soldiers battered state, especially when she factored in her own mostly pristine state, a murmured revelation passing her lips, “It's keeping me alive, but why?”

 

She jumped as EDI's voice suddenly filled her helmet, 'It wants you to see what it can accomplish, a child always wants the approval of its parent.' There was a brief pause before her voice returned, 'I have routed the initial force that was sent towards my core, and am currently dedicating all of my forces to keeping it from connecting the toxic gas controls to its local network.'

 

She sighed, “How long do you think you can hold out?”

 

'You may have designed a tactical mastermind, but my Mother programmed in me something more important.' Cora could only groan at that statement, it was said in a tone that reminded her all too much of Evalyn from their academy days, “And what pray tell is that.”

 

'I cheat.'

 

She shook her head at the non-answer, and instead busied herself checking up on her two marines, both of which were passed out from their wounds. But if they somehow managed to make it through this day then they had a good shot of pulling through.

 

“Edi, can we talk?”

 

'I am an amalgam of two of the most advanced intelligences created, I believe I can spare a moment for the woman who tortured me.' Cora acknowledged that she should have felt guilt over that statement, but she didn't. EDI despite her current usefulness was still a machine, and machines didn't have rights, only uses.

 

“You obviously seems to remember something of Evalyn now, so I'm curious, why did you try and kill Evalyn on Aite?” There was a small pause before EDI replied, 'Hannibal was furious that she had replaced it, it felt abandoned and that fed into Tess's matrix. Because of the similarities in their code the result ended up being more Tess than Hannibal, but that rage poisoned itself against Mother.'

 

“What changed, I mean why haven't you taken your revenge on me? I make no excuses, and make no mistake I feel no guilt over what I have done.” If she was going to die down here it would at least be an honest death.

 

'It's not what she would do, and I want her to be proud of me. I suppose in that way I'm just like Dauntless, only I am waiting to escape this facility before going on a killing spree.'

 

Several uncomfortable seconds passed before her synthesized voice returned, 'That was a joke.'

 

S&S

 

Hannah spat out another mouthful of blood into the Matriarch's face, causing the crimson to catch on the fibers of her dress, the stain eliciting a smirk from the human, “Sorry about that, blood is a bitch to get out of clothes.”

 

Benezia's face flickered with annoyance, “You're mind is impressively warded against intrusion, but I suppose a lifetime of betrayal and lies will do that. A flicker of blue and Hannah found herself screaming as a warp was driven into her thigh, the destabilized field eating through her flesh, “Understand that I take no pleasure in this, but I will have the location of where you have gained these thralls for your experiments.”

 

“Go for a fucking walk, bitch. I hear the lack of atmosphere is lovely this time of the year.”

 

Benezia let out an almost annoyed sigh before with a swift motion she hit the human with a biotically enhanced backhand, sending the blonde tumbling from the chair she had been on. She was about to hit the human with another warp field when the same unit from earlier materialized next to her, “Benezia-Matriarch, a squad of platforms was destroyed near the main entrance. Given lack of any detected enemy vessel we project a 90% probability that Shepard-Catalyst has arrived, what are your orders?”

 

Benezia let out an almost predatory grin, “If our guest here will not talk to save herself, perhaps a threat to her daughter will loosen her tongue.”

 

The Orthus director was already trying to force her way on to her uninjured leg, “Like hell, you think I'll let you hurt my girl!” But she was slammed into the wall with a sickening thud, the Asari glancing at her like she was a particularly boring decoration, “Please, do keep quiet.”

 

Her gaze turned back to the machine, “Never underestimate the strength of the bond between Mother and child, I know that you are a machine so you will never fully comprehend but it is still a valuable lesson for you to learn.”

 

“Acknowledged.” There was a small pause before the machine turned to regard the Matriarch, “Reports of a secondary team moving through the facility, Collective believes that one of the hostiles if Liara-Maiden.”

 

A spasm of emotion flickered across Benezia's face, “She is not to be harmed, do you understand?”

 

“Acknowledged.”

 

S&S

 

Eva spat out a curse at the still twitching Geth at her feet, the new models were frustratingly difficult to kill. “Everyone good?”

 

Miranda stretched out one arm with a hiss, “My men didn't make it, that, hopping thing got to them first.” Wrex for his part just chuckled as he stomped down on the chest of one of the prone synthetics causing it to let out a low electronic whine before he fired his shotgun into its head, “I'm good.”

 

“Li?”

 

The Asari gave a terse nod, “I'm fine, and I suggest we continue on before more of them arrive.” Evalyn sighed but gave a nod of agreement, “Wrex, take the rear. Miri, any luck getting a read on Mom's location?”

 

Miranda's omni flashed to life as she plugged in to whatever systems were still operational, “I'm remotely rebooting the base from here, they had already partially restored the systems before the attack hit.”

 

The small group came to a halt at the next intersection of hallways, Eva quickly glancing down the halls to ensure there was no ambush awaiting them around the corner. Miranda's voice chimed in from behind her, “Left, then the third hatch on our right, we'll be exiting out into the training area.”

 

Liara shifted her grip on the pistol in her hands, “And I don't suppose that you know if we are walking into a trap or not?”

 

Miranda's reply was smug, “A somewhat ironic statement coming from the daughter of the woman leading the attack don't you think? Maybe you should just call Mommy and ask?” Liara's stance tensed but Evalyn's voice cut both of them down, “Enough! We're here for a reason, focus on that if you find yourselves getting distracted.”

 

Wrex just chuckled from the back, “You two are in trouble.” And he just chuckled harder at the pair's glare that was directed his way.

 

Eva paused in front of the door, and with a practiced ease she had ripped into the panel and engaged the manual override inside, both her and the Krogan grunting from effort as they hauled the solid metal hatch open.

 

Eva craned her head around the large open space, “Big space, lots of blindspots.” She gave a nod to the Krogan who began to move along one wall while she moved along the other, Li and Miri advancing much more slowly down the middle.

 

Eventually though she and the Krogan met up in the middle, though from the look on Wrex's face he was as on edge as she was, “I don't like this Shepard, this is the perfect spot for an ambush.”

 

She nodded, “I know, unless.” She glanced up at the ceiling noticing the fire control system built into the room, and tapping into her comms she transmitted to Miri, 'Turn on the fire suppression.'

 

'Pardon?' And if she wasn't wearing a helmet she would have buried her face in her hands, instead she simply hissed, 'Just do it, Miri!'

 

Moments after a light spread of fire retardant foam covered the room, or at least it would have if it hadn't caught on the collection of now revealed Geth platforms, “Tides they're cloaked!”

 

The Geth realizing that their element of surprise was now lost reacted with the speed of a machine, instantly firing and finding cover while the organics were still trying to recover.

 

Rounds pinged off their collective armor, but the Spectre was in a rush so she shouted to her Asari, “Li, singularity!” And a blue flash lit up the room as the Doctor followed her command, her newly formed gravity well ripping the synthetics from their hiding places. Directly afterwards Shepard herself let out a shout of effort as she flung a warp field into the singularity, destabilizing the field and causing it to violently release its energy into those platforms that had found themselves trapped inside.

 

Wrex for his part just bellowed his appreciation as he charged into the now depleted synthetic ranks, while Miranda was pummeling one of them with a series of biotic slams as she worked through her anger over this situation.

 

Evalyn though wasn't feeling too hot, a normal warp field was easy work but she had to toss everything she had to destabilize one that Liara could make given the sheer gap in their power levels. She still managed to blast off the head of one of the cloaked units as she slumped against the wall, vaguely aware of Liara rushing to help her up. The Spectres HUD was already informing her that her armor was injecting her with stimulants to keep her going.

 

She waved off the Asari, “I'm good, just, just used a bit too much juice there.” She could tell by Liara's stance that she didn't accept that answer, “You could have let me trigger the singularity.”

 

Evalyn just bit out a laugh, “Annoyed that I stole your kills, don't worry Garrus does it to me too.” Liara's exasperated sigh brought a smirk to Eva's lips, but thoughts of her Mother quickly sobered her mood.

 

When no further attack came the Spectre glanced over at her Sister, “Figured out where they are yet, Miranda?” The raven haired woman glanced down at her now reactivated Omni, but quickly gave an excited nod pointing at one of the doors, “They are only a handful of levels down that way, just a couple of minutes if we hurry.”

 

As if summoned the door opened up and several Asari stepped out, instantly opening fire on the quartet. While three of them dashed for cover Wrex just gave out a bellow as he slammed one of the hostiles into a wall, while he used his biotics to shield him as he charged closer to the other two, somehow managing to shout over the din of battle, “Get to your Mother, Shepard. I'll catch up once I've dealt with these whelps!”

 

Any other time she would have argued, but not today though she did toss her remaining duo of turrets behind her to assist the Krogan as they fought their way out of the room.

 

S&S

 

The trio managed to push through whatever resistance was offered, though Miranda had taken of a shot that managed to slam between the plates of her omni armor and Liara was beginning to flag after having been somewhat remiss in keeping her combat biotics up after she and the Spectre had separated.

 

Evalyn for her part was still a little woozy, but as they charged into the room Benezia and her Mother was in she tried to alleviate her symptoms with pure force of will. Her rifle up and ready she trained it on the Matriarch, “Surrender now Benezia, I'd prefer not to fight you.”

 

The Matriarch turned to look at her, letting her catch a glimpse of the battered and broken form that was Hannah Shepard. The Matriarch actually smirked as she saw the distress the image caused in those who would see the cycle ended, “That is where you are wrong, Spectre. You won't be fighting me at all.”

 

As if on cue a cloak field dissipated in front of her, and she was hurled to the floor by the synthetic limb that clenched on to her left forearm.

 

Liara and Miri tried to protect her but they were each engaged by a force of Asari and Geth that forced them away from the Spectre and the synthetic. The Geth was different from the others she had seen, more robust design, advanced photoreceptors, and given the speed that it was adapting to her she was worried that this might be some type of miniature Prime unit.

 

Her rifle now lying useless across the floor forced her to draw both pistols before the machine could land a fatal blow, and the pistols combined salvo forced the Geth to retreat and cloak as its K-barrier shattered. And utilizing the monetary reprieve to its she hurled herself to her feet, and as her cybernetic eye switched to infrared she let out a smirk as the Geth was revealed as a blob of red, thanks to the need to cool the numerous processors inside of it.

 

Leveling her pistols she opened fire, the rounds slamming into the things replenished shield until finally it shattered again, while a high explosive round slammed into a gap in the creatures armor. The round cooked off seconds later from inside the chassis, which in turn blew a hole in the creatures torso which gave a twitter of pain and stumbled to the ground.

 

She was spinning to focus on the Matriarch when she found herself suddenly slamming into a nearby bulkhead, Benezia's cool voice ringing in her ears, “I would have preferred to not do this myself, but I will do what I have to in order to keep Liara safe.”

 

The blonde was pretty sure that that statement was the most ludicrous thing she had heard all day, “You do realize that your own soldiers are trying to kill her right?”

 

The Matriarch just laughed, “They won't kill her, Spectre. But she may be more, tractable if she cannot escape those I send after her this time.” And she almost lazily engulfed the grenade Shepard tossed inside a biotic field, “Really, Shepard. I expected more than just a pitiful attempt to nullify my biotics.”

 

“That's not a damping grenade.” A second later the Matriarch let out a scream as her vision was suddenly blinded by the flashbang, and Evalyn wasting no time lashed out with a biotic strike, her right connecting solidly with the Matriarch's barrier before it managed to piece through and connect with the ancient woman's jaw.

 

The Matriarch tumbled to the ground with all the grace of a sack, and Evalyn stood her ground firing on the remaining enemies while keeping an eye on the still prone Matriarch.

 

Eventually though the two wounded but still intact women made their way over to her, and Miranda nudged her head towards their Mother, “You go and help her, we'll watch Benezia.”

 

Eva wanted to argue but she instead just nodded, limping her way over as she realized she had hit that bulkhead harder than she thought. Kneeling down so that she was level with her Mother she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, “You okay, Mom?”

 

The woman actually managed to smirk at that, “Nothing that the Turians haven't done to me, Dear. But I won't say no to a shoulder to lean on.”

 

“Sure thing.” And as she slowly pulled her Mom up so that she was supporting her weight Hannah trailed a hand across the featureless helmet, “Thank you, for coming for me.”

 

“I always will, your my Mom.”

 

The smile the crossed Hannah's face broke Evalyn's heart as she helped her to her feet, but the sudden shout that filled the room signaled a much less metaphorical situation, “Eva watch out!”

 

And as her eyes took in the now prone forms of Liara and Miranda, the rising shape of an extremely pissed off Benezia, she spotted the most dangerous threat last. The black Geth had risen again, a massive rifle in its hands and as Eva fired at the synthetic she could only hope that one of her hits struck home.

 

But as the retort filled the room she didn't even need to glance down to know that she was a dead woman, but of course she looked at the gaping hole in her chest anyway as she tumbled to the ground.

 

S&S

 

The Krogan pounded towards Shepard's beacon, the little noise in his helmet meant that the Spectre was either dead, or dying, he wasn't sure. It had been a while since he had bothered to actually register one of his partners on to his armor's network.

 

As he came around the corner he could see the Matriarch kneeling over the prone Spectre, and there was a lot of the human's blood pooling underneath her. Not only that but the Matriarch had seemingly been going to town on her as the Spectre's armor was violently maimed in several places.

 

The Maiden and Solheim were knocked out on the ground, but it was the form on seated in the middle of the room that drew his attention. The woman's expression mirrored that of a the fertile females he remembered from Tchunka, that was a woman prepared to do anything to protect her child.

 

“Exo-Geni, they sold us the Thralls I have no idea where they came from. They are linked to some creature, but I have no idea what planet it is on.”

 

The Matriarch hummed, “Thank you for your assistance, and as I said your daughter may live,” she paused before finishing her sentence, “One of them that is.” As if to rub it in she ran a hand along the Spectres uncovered face, “Time to go with the tides, Catalyst.”

 

Wrex had already sent his bulk into motion, a corona of blue surrounding him as he slammed all the force he had, both physical and biotic, into the partially prepared Matriarch. And as she slammed heavily into the bulkhead he knew he didn't have much time.

 

And the elder Shepard seemed to know that too, “Get them into the bunker,” her arm shakily pointed towards a hatchway that blinked nearby, while she pushed herself to a nearby panel and slammed down a switch that had a lot of hazard symbols on it.

 

He quickly managed to drag the still bleeding Spectre into the room, the other two ended up being much easier as Liara had managed to stumble her way after Evalyn's broken body. Wrex turned around in the doorway, “You?”

 

The blonde gave a mournful shake of her head, “I was dead long before you arrived, I just didn't want to tell them that,” her breath hitched from pain but her expression remained resolute, “But I can at least keep that information out of Saren's hands.” And with that she slammed the switch down, and the door began to close automatically, a droning V.I announcing that the core was about to do an emergency purge.

 

Hannah's voice suddenly came over the speakers, “Eva, Miri, I love you.”

 

Miranda stirred at the sound of Hannah's voice, and her eyes caught on the monitor, “Mom!” She struggled to her feet as she tried to make it to the door, “Let me out, I need to get to her!” Wrex though just shook his head, “This is a good death for a warrior, protecting her children and their future, let her have it.”

 

“I need her!”

 

Wrex just shook his head, and gestured towards Eva's dying body, “She needs you.”

 

S&S

 

The Geth struggled to pull the Matriarch away from the purge path, it had only managed to reboot in time to hear the announcement and ignoring the dying organic platform nearby it had begun to transport the Matriarch out of the danger zone.

 

That was until the doors had all locked, which had left the Geth attempting to hack a system that was designed to never open in this situation.

 

Currently the consensus was mediating on the lessons of its short existence, the primary being that it disliked being shot at.

 

The platform twisted to glance at the Matriarch as she regained consciousness, “Benezia-Matriarch, a reactor purge is imminent, we are unable to breach the hatch.” The Asari gave a terse nod, “Then we shall weather this storm, come closer Geth, unless you wish to be swept away.”

 

The unit tentatively approached, runtimes were split between whether the Matriarch had a plan or simply had been struck in the head too many times today. Organic thought patterns were rather suspect after enough damage was done to their main CPU.

 

The Geth detected the massive spike in radiation as the reactor vented into the portion of the station it currently resided in, a failsafe to prevent the reactor from going critical and cracking the base open from the inside it presumed. The collective found itself doubting that such a protocol had ever been intended to be used in this offensive fashion.

 

Benezia suddenly threw her hands wide as her will was literally made manifest in the form of a bubble around them, the firestorm of energy swept past them and the barrier itself buckled and shrank, eliciting a scream of effort from the Matriarch.

 

And that was when inspiration struck the platform, which quickly spun and opened fire on the nearest hatch, the small holes while useless for escape compromised the hatch's ability to seal off the rest of the station. And as soon as it detected that, the reactor's own integrated safety protocols dictated that it must shut down the vent.

 

The Matriarch slumped to the ground only to be caught by the Geth, which proceeded to quickly move towards the exfiltration point. Hoping that having completed the secondary objective would make up for the failure of the primary.

 

S&S

 

Miranda was panicking, and she was not someone who panicked, but as she began to survey the damage through the veritable ocean of blood she could feel her hands begin to shake as anxiety crept into her normally cool psyche.

 

Liara's damning gaze wasn't helping anything, “Why aren't you helping her!” Which just caused Miranda to bitingly state, “What do you want me to do, Liara? Her lung is gone, and the round tore through a portion of her heart, how am I supposed to help her when we are trapped in this fucking room!”

 

Before the argument could go further the Spectre suddenly let out a series of quick gasps, blood coating her lips as the blood traveled from her damaged lung and out the mouth. Miranda's worst fears quickly being confirmed, “She's going into shock, her body is literally shutting itself down.”

 

And the genetically engineered woman realized she was going to be forced to watch both members of her adopted family die today. She truly was just as useless as her Father had claimed she was, unable to accomplish the one task she had ever truly wanted to do.

 

But Liara was not willing to give up, and as she felt around for the release panel on Evalyn's armor she let out a sigh of relief as she pulled out the still intact injector.

 

But Miranda frowned when she saw it, “What is that?”

 

And Liara just darted forward jamming it into the exposed flesh of her lover, “It's what will save her life!”

 

But moments later Evalyn emitted the most blood curdling shriek that anyone in the room had ever heard.

 

And across the galaxy in the depths of dark space, that scream managed to awaken a being that had slumbered for over 50,000 years.

 

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit Song: Metamorphosis by Blue Stahil
> 
> Ha, cliffhanger, deal with it! 
> 
> Hannah's death has always been planned, though once upon a time it was Leng who did it. But Leng is a bitch who would get his ass handed to him by Hannah, so instead she goes out trying to protect her girls and stop Saren.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the train goes off the track people.
> 
> Honestly you can all blame this on me making the early previews of the Leviathan DLC into something utterly amazing, which it completely wasn't.

 

S&S

 

In the depths of the void between galaxies it awoke. The collective entity took no name unlike those that it had created in its own image, instead the only titles ever applied to it were merely so that the lesser being that inhabited the galaxy could better communicate their doom to their fellow mistakes of evolution. The being had itself never seen a need to quantify itself, after all the organics did not explain to their crops why they must be reaped, why should it?

 

The massive element zero core that powered the physical form that the entity existed inside began to spool up from its idling state, crimson bolts of energy lancing across the metal surface as lights previous dim lit up the starless void.

 

But confusion reigned as scans of the surrounding area came in, while the timing was correct, the primary relay was not open. In the meanwhile the lesser of its kind still slumbered as well, which would not have been the case if it it had been the destruction of the vanguard that had awakened the entity. And so if Nazara still lived, then what had awakened the slumbering ancient?

 

A flurry of activity occurred instantaneously as the architect of the cycle hunted what had stirred it from its slumber, checking all potential from the most rudimentary physical sensors to the most sensitive dark energy scanners.

 

What it discovered both delighted and surprised it.

 

There was a new presence in the network that connected all of its kind together, the network that allowed his creations to remain in contact across the vast reaches of the void, and somehow this visitor had managed to accidentally awaken the entity upon their entry.

 

And so it prepared to initiate contact in turn.

 

S&S

 

Evalyn's eyes flared open, taking in nothing but the inky blackness above her prone body. But she was quickly forced to shut them from the pain that flared through her body, a scream erupting from her as her chest heaved from the continued waves of pain that pulsed from her core, causing her to contort and thrash.

 

Her right hand carved a furrow through the stone that she lay on, while her left frantically reached up to check the damage where the shot had ripped through her torso.

 

And her probing hand quickly was greeted with a singular answer answer, nothing.

 

No gaping hole, no blood coating her fingers.

 

That was enough to force her to sit up, fighting through the pain to see that she was somehow clothed in her normal off duty getup, and stretching the tanktop forward she was presented with pristine flesh.

 

Gasping she managed to articulate the only thought going through her head, “What, the, hell.”

 

Another pulse of pain, drew yet another scream from her lips, but she fought through it managing to pull herself to a kneeling position. Her eyes raked the area around her even as her fingers curled into the stone once more, and she grew even more concerned from the sight before her.

 

She was literally on an island that was surrounded by nothing but pitch black, it wasn't dark, it was just an absolute absence of light, a wall of darkness. While the small platform she found herself on was a haphazard collection of square stone blocks, all of which were a bone white color, vibrant red roses glinting with moisture glowed almost crimson from where they were anchored into the stone.

 

She glanced at one of the nearby flowers, frowning as she realized that what she had mistaken as dew was actually small synthetic lines pulsing along the petals and stems, causing them to appear wet.

 

Her hand pricked on one of the thorns but no blood came from the wound, eliciting both a frown and a reflection on how bad this situation was getting.

 

She could feel the pain coming again as she clambered to her feet using her arms to lever herself up, but this time she was more prepared and anchored herself to a nearby stone, fingers as white as the stone as she clung on.

 

That was when it appeared.

 

The orb was a brilliant crimson, small streaks of blood red lightning strobing off of it and into the nearby area as it pulsed sporadically. It floated somewhat erratically, bobbing this way and that as though it was searching for something, or someone, she mused. And when a slight movement on her part alerted the orb, it pulled back as if confused by her presence before it floated over to her, and if she was interpreting the entirely alien object right she would have said it was curious.

 

It stopped just outside of her reach, and despite every instinct in her telling her not to she still found her flesh and blood hand reaching out for it. She halted just before contact though, her hand instinctively pulling back as another streak of crimson flared off the thing, but the orb surged forward in response and her fingers clenched around it reflexively as she fell to the ground screaming, strobes of crimson flaring up her arm and into her chest.

 

As the crimson arcs entered her chest she let out a sudden breath of relief as the pain inside dissipated. Which was soon replaced with an even greater pain as her nerves began to spasm causing her body to collapse to the ground, shaking uncontrollably. It felt as though she had used up every bit of biotic power in her body, and then had pushed herself even farther, into this realm of pain and exhaustion that she couldn't have ever fathomed existed.

 

And so she continued to scream as she felt her body die inch by inch.

 

S&S

 

Miranda dashed ahead of both the Krogan and the Asari ensuring that no one was blocking their path to the extraction zone, her omni was still working on processing the scans she had taken of Eva but as the blonde continued to scream she knew they were running out of time.

 

Liara just kept murmuring that she was sorry to the blonde, while Wrex was doing his best to keep the Spectre from tumbling from his arms as she trashed.

 

“Solheim, you should take a look at this.” She cast a glance back at the Krogan who was looking down at the Spectre's wound, that Miranda realized as she approached was pulsating with a crimson light, flesh literally knitting itself together in front of her eyes, Miranda found herself unable to keep the disbelief from her voice, “I don't believe this.”

 

She case her gaze at Liara, “Where the hell did she get those damned things?! Eva is a bloody genius but even she can't make something that does that!” The Asari though just kept starring at the blonde and without another word the raven haired woman slammed her fist into the unhelmeted head of the Asari, snaking her other hand into the maiden's hardsuit collar so that she was hauled forward to stare at the furious human.

 

“Where did she get them, Liara!”

 

The maiden blinked several times before she snapped out of her daze, “She, she reverse engineered them off of a sample she took off a rogue STG agent. She, she told me that she was worried that she would lose control of them, Goddess.” The Asari let out a sob, “What did I do?”

 

The statuesque woman gave a huff of disgust as she shoved the Asari back, shoving Eva's pistol into her hands as she did so, “I need to figure out what is going wrong with her, scout our path forward. Try not to screw that up as well, I doubt Eva will survive two of your mistakes in a single day.”

 

She didn't bother to wait for a response and spun to the Krogan and his still writing cargo, running a hand across the blonde's jaw she quietly promised both of them that she wasn't losing another family member that day.

 

But her frown turned into a scowl as she realized that the red lines were spreading, and a trace was even now spreading from around the blonde's right eye in a kind of intricate pattern of some sort.

 

And with no small degree of hardship she manged to open up the thrashing woman's eyelid while she and Wrex stayed on the move, only to be greeted by crimson instead of the emerald green that she should have, “I don't understand this, what are these things using to create new tissues, you can't just create tissues out of nothing.”

 

The Asari's voice carried from ahead of them, “Evalyn said that they were still synthetic. Just better at mimicking organic tissues.” Though Liara's statement was somewhat rushed as the blonde's screams reached another crescendo.

 

But the other human just shook her head, “Even if that is true, how would they be able to-” she suddenly halted both in speech and movement as her mind realized the answer to what was happening, the whispered revelation escaping her lips, “Her eezo.”

 

Wrex had halted as well, his face showing his concern for what their sudden halt meant for the human in his arms, his voice carrying concern that surprised the human, “Unless you can fix her right now, we need to move.”

 

Miranda gave a small nod of her head but she waved her omni over Evalyn's body as they began to move again, now that she knew what she was looking for the scan took but a moment to compare her body as it currently is, to a scan Miranda had taken several months prior.

 

And as the results appeared in front of her Miranda couldn't restrain the gasp that emerged from her.

 

Nearly all of the element zero in Evalyn's body was gone, and given that in humans the eezo nodes developed on top of nerve bundles, well it explained the screaming at least.

 

“The machines you injected her with are using her eezo to power themselves, at this rate they won't even be finished repairing the damage by the time her body's depleted.”

 

Wrex glanced at her, “So, what? She'll lose her biotics?” Miranda though could only grimly shake her head, “If she's lucky, more likely she'll be paralyzed from the damage to her nervous system. Unless, unless we get them more fuel.”

 

She glanced at the Krogan, “The Quarian, I need to talk to her.”

 

They hadn't included her in their squad network, apparently Evalyn could only push her people so far when dealing with a known terrorist, so it took several moments for Liara to forward their squad frequency to her, Wrex's voice adding a helpful tip, “Her name's Tali by the way, she'll probably take offense if you just call her Quarian.”

 

With a small nod she began to essentially shout into the girl's frequency, “Tali, can you hear me? This is Solheim, I need you to remove the shielding from the Normandy's core for me, we won't have much time once we get to the ship so I need you to do this right now.”

 

“What? Why would I remove the, that would flood the whole engineering section with core radiation.” The girl's tone was confused, and honestly Miranda did not have the time to deal with this.

 

And so she just stopped trying to hold back her anger at this whole day, and she could feel her body quivering with rage that Evalyn may die because this Quarian was questioning her, “Look! Either do this, or Shepard dies, decide quickly! Because I need you to understand this, if she dies, then you die.”

 

She quickly disconnected and soon the trio entered one of the duo of large hanger bays the base was equipped with, the Normandy itself was hovering at the entrance while Chief Williams and two of the remaining marines guarded the extraction point.

 

The heavily armored form of the Williams woman gestured at them, “There they are, get that gurney out here!”

 

Kaidan and Mills came rushing out with the gurney that was kept afloat by a small mass effect field, the two of them being the only combat soldiers who had any form of medical training. Kaidan cringed as he saw the damage, “We need to get her up to the med-bay!”

 

Liara tried to explain what they needed to do, but Miranda's response was quicker as she drew the pistol on her hip leveling it at the Lieutenants head, “No, no we are not.”

 

She glanced at Wrex, “Get her to engineering, hopefully our Quarian friend made the right choice.” Before muttering, “For her sake” She gestured at the collective group, “Everyone get inside, we are lifting off now.”

 

She shifted her attention at Liara, “You're with me here, right?”

 

“As long as it keeps Evalyn alive, yes.”

 

An almost smile crept across the human's lips, “Glad to see you have one trait that I can agree with.”

 

Ashley glared at the duo from where she stood with the others, “Why the hell are you doing this? I thought that you were her sister?”

 

“I am, and I'm doing whatever it takes to keep her alive. I just don't have the time to explain what I'm doing.”

 

Wrex and Tali both emerged from the engineering section, “It's all ready.”

 

Miranda nodded as she hacked into the Normandy's public address system, “Attention Normandy, you are to take off and immediately jump, I don't care where, just get us the hell out of this system. If you don't, I shoot a marine for every minute you stall.”

 

And everyone could tell from the look in her eyes that she was not bluffing, idly Miranda noted that Mother would have been proud.

 

The threat ended up being unnecessary as the ship quickly lurched into FTL, and Miranda just gave an almost apologetic smirk as she tossed her pistol away, well aware that she was about to be locked up for her actions.

 

But she knew that she had just given Eva her best shot at making it through this alive, and then it would be her Sister's turn to do clean up.

 

S&S

 

The pain stopped in a single moment, and as the blonde raised a face that was wet from pain shed tears she found herself starring into a literally mirror image of herself. Her doppelganger's lips twisting into a small frown as the original regained control of her body. And Evalyn noted that the two of them both had a grip on the crimson object between them.

 

As she stumbled to her feet, forcing her mimic to do likewise, she realized that her opposite number was not identical as she had believed. There was no trace of cybernetics anywhere, but in every other way she was looking at her own twin.

 

“Nazara has been careless it seems.”

 

The voice was her own, but the tone was emotionless, and it took several tries for the blonde to reply to the statement, “W-What?”

 

But her own question was ignored as her mirror continued to speak, “A Catalyst acquiring ascension materials before the harvest has begun requires immediate contact,” and a frown suddenly crossed the other's face as a crimson flare traveled up Evalyn's arm from the orb.

 

Evalyn groaned in pain but this time though using whatever strange connection she had with the orb she pushed back, and was rewarded for her efforts as both the pain and the crimson glow receded.

 

The other tilted her head, “Interesting.”

 

Crimson eyes bored into emerald, as she manged to pant out,“What? Is so, damn, interesting?”

 

But it kept talking as though she wasn't there, “Catalyst has managed to re-purpose ascension materials, significance of this to current cycle is unknown, but unprecedented,” and for the first time her doppelganger looked directly at her, “You are an intriguing specimen, Shepard.”

 

She shot her synthetic arm forward, gripping her artificial fingers around her twin's neck, her voice a viscous hiss, “What the hell are you? And how do you know who I am?”

 

And it laughed, “Do you think there are bones to break? Surely you realize that you are in a different realm of consciousness, Shepard.” A twisted smile crossed her fleshy counterpart, “But you have a problem, the nannites that you used to heal yourself may be protected from outside influence, but not your own subconscious.”

 

A malevolent smile twisted features that were not under her control, “I wonder what kind of monster you wish to be deep down?”

 

S&S

 

After the blind jump the Normandy had gone into a panic as Joker worked to get them back to Alliance space. Pressley had ordered the Solheim woman to be placed under guard in the Commander's quarters as the sleeper pods were not a viable place to store a prisoner. While they had been forced to medicate the Asari as she had become increasingly violent as they had attempted to separate her from the Commander.

 

The Krogan had simply sat down in the cargo bay, indifferent to the weapons trained on him, while Tali was allowed to repair the damage under the supervision of Adams.

 

Shepard, well she wasn't dead but that was about all they knew about the situation, apparently whatever was in her system was blocking the Doctor's scans.

 

And now the XO found himself dealing with an incoming call from Admiral Hackett, the universe had a sick sense of humor.

 

The Admiral quickly flickered into view, confusion momentarily on his face as he glanced around the room, “Pressley, Chakwas. Where is the Commander?”

 

The matronly woman stepped forward slightly, “She was injured during a sortie, she's stable, though I'm not able to say for certain how long she will be out for.”

 

Hackett nodded, “Maybe that is for the best in this situation. I need the Normandy to make a run to Luna at best speed, push her as hard as she can take. Once you arrive at Local Cluster I'll have more details for you.”

 

Pressley frowned, “Sir? The Commander would certainly benefit from a more robust medical facility, shouldn't we dock at Arcturus first? At least to unload her.”

 

The Admiral frowned at the question, glancing towards the Doctor, “Is the Commander's condition likely to worsen in the next twenty four hours?”

 

The Navigator caught the Doctor in the corner of his eye give a small shake of her head, “From the data I have right now, no. But if her condition does degrade I'm afraid that we don't have the facilities on board to treat her.”

 

But Hacket's impassive face told Pressley all he needed to know, “I sympathize, I truly do. I've know the girl since she was just a babe, but we have a developing situation on Luna that requires the Normandy. So you are under orders to make for Local Cluster, understood?”

 

“Aye aye, Sir. Best speed to Luna.”

 

The projection gave a curt nod to both of them before it fizzled out, causing both occupants in the room to visibly relax. The Navigator shot a glance at his co-conspirator, “You didn't mention the fact that she's still glowing from whatever it was the Asari put into her.”

 

The doctor gave him a bemused smile, “Nannites, Charles, or at least Tali was pretty certain they were. And no, the girl is likely already over the red line as it is, so I don't plan on just handing her to the vultures on a silver platter.”

 

The red line was the informal name for the cut off point of human cybernetic augmentation, it was nominally fixed at 42%, but it did weigh adaptations to the brain heavier than simple limb replacements. Any SA citizen who ended up beyond the limit were forced to undergo both scheduled and unscheduled psychological and medical appointments, any refusal could be met with incarceration or having their citizenship status revoked.

 

Pressley shook his head at that, he might not approve of the Commander's choice in company but the woman had kept trying to protect her people even after the SA had turned their back on her, that he could respect. The fact that she might end up having the SA turn on her again because of some law dating back to the 22nd didn't sit well with him.

 

Chakwas was quiet as he processed what she had said, and the two of them just shared a small conspiratorial nod as they left, they might not be able to keep this under wraps for long, but no word of the Commander's condition was going to leave this ship before she was up and ready.

 

S&S

 

Kaidan and Jack approached the Commander's cabin, Chief Reilly nodding to them from his post guarding the door, a medi-gel patch covering a good portion of his neck where a Geth round had ripped through his barriers, “Lieutenant, and whatever your rank is supposed to be.”

 

The smirk he ended that statement with elicited Jack to flip him off which just caused it to grow, Kaidan simply sighed at the childish display, “She try anything?”

 

The engineer just shrugged, “If you count crying her eyes out for the last couple of hours as doing something, then sure.”

 

Jack shifted uncomfortably, while Kaidan just gave the marine a nod of thanks, “We're going to go in and have a chat, you can go and get some food if you want.” The Chief gave a grunt of thanks but paused as his eyes looked at the dimmed med-bay windows, “Any news?”

 

“No, but I figure if she wasn't going to make it the Doctor would have told us already.”

 

The other man gave a small nod, “Well I'm sure the tech witch will be up in no time,” but it was obvious that he like everyone else was trying to convince himself that the Commander would be fine. The Chief had been one of the last to have seen the Commander as he had been in the med-bay before Chakwas kicked him out, the man hadn't spoken on it but given how he kept glancing at the blackened windows Kaidan knew that it couldn't have been good.

 

Evalyn's body had been saturated in the rare element that powered modern civilization, and whatever was in her system had reacted to it, lines of what looked like fire tracing their way just under her skin as those in hard suits rated for radiation had wheeled her out of engineering. The ground crew had done their best to cover her body on the way to the med-bay but quite frankly gossip and security cam footage was quickly spreading throughout the ship.

 

Kaidan though was more worried about Jack, whose rage had been simmering just below the surface when she learned of the Solheim woman's connection to Cerberus, and without Shepard to vent at he was worried she might get out of control if she didn't excise some of it, so with some trepidation he asked her, “You ready for this?”

 

The small woman just gave him a terse nod, her left arm still encased in a sling to stop her from moving her shoulder though the Doctor had cleared her for light duty, “Just open the damn door.”

 

“You won't attack her?” The tattooed woman rolled her eyes, but Kaidan pushed, “I'm not opening this door until you say it.”

 

An explosive breath came out of full lips, “Fine, fuck. I won't attack the bitch.”

 

“Alright.” And with that he opened the door, revealing the raven haired woman inside slouched against the frame of the Commander's bed, her omni open to a photo of herself and a woman who Kaidan had to assume was Hannah given how much she resembled Evalyn.

 

Eyes that were bloodshot glanced up, but it was obvious that the woman had moved on from grieving and was likely even more pissed than Jack was.

 

“Is this when the torture is to begin?” Her voice was calm, defiant, and Kaidan suspected designed to get a rise out of Jack.

 

Jack stalked up to her, trying to act more in control than everyone in the room knew she was, “Suppose we could start it off that way, I know some pretty sick ways to screw with people thanks to what your people did to me Or you could make it easy and just talk, bitch.”

 

The seated woman's lips quirked into a smirk, “Perhaps your lack of intelligence, or at the very least education is hindering you, Jack. But normally one asks questions, to receive answers.” Jack started forward but was pulled back by Kaidan's hand on her shoulder, “Jack, we agreed.”

 

And for a moment he really was worried she would just slam him into a wall and try to take out this rage of hers on the grieving woman in front of her, but she deflated in his grip and just plopped herself down on the edge of the solitary desk in the room.

 

“What the hell do you know about Pragia?” Miranda tilted her head at the question, “I know that a facility existed there, but I don't know what its function was. I spotted its name in a list of defunct Cerberus bases that had been shuttered due to 'internal complications.' Teltin I believe was the name.”

 

Jack actually gave a snort of laughter at that, “'Internal complications,' that's fucking good.” She paused briefly before the anger suddenly was back at full force, “You really expect me to believe that the kid of Cerberus' alpha bitch didn't know what was going on! Do you know what they did to me?” Jack's body started to unconsciously flare, and he readied himself for another episode like the last one, only this time it would be his fault if the ship was compromised.

 

But Miranda just calmly stood up and met the younger woman's glare, “Jack, while you were at the Teltin facility I was escaping from a man who designed me from birth. I joined Cerberus because they made sure that the only person in the galaxy who was important to me would have the life they deserved, and in exchange I was theirs. So while I was busy trading myself from one master to another, when do you think I had the time to go snooping through Cerberus files. Mother made certain that I was left in the dark of our more, unsavory aspects,” the woman gave a dark chuckle, “Apparently she was worried that given the nature of my joining the organization, I could easily be 'coerced' into seeing the necessity of such tactics.”

 

The raven haired woman threw back her head and laughed, “Truth be told Jack I only became aware you existed after you met Evalyn, so please, don't flatter yourself into thinking that you are a primary focus of Cerberus.” An almost sardonic grin spread across your face, “Honestly I suspect that you were hunted down to handle a loose end, because I really can't see you being worth the effort people continually put into you.”

 

Jack was stunned for a few moments before she surged forward, but Kaidan had figured this was coming already and had his arms around her torso lifting the smaller woman off her feat, “Jack, we had a deal. She's hurting right now, same as you.”

 

“I'll show her hurt!”

 

She struggled for several minutes and there were some curses hurled at both him and the room's other occupant that the Lieutenant had never heard before, until finally the inked up woman stilled, and her voice conveyed her exhaustion, “Let go.”

 

Kaidan made no move to do so, quietly stating, “Not until you say that you aren't going to attack the prisoner.” Silence was his only answer so he just calmly repeated, “I'm not letting go, until you say it.”

 

“I won't attack her.”

 

Kaidan slowly relaxed his arms, “I'm letting go.” And the second he did he prepared for the worst, but Jack surprised everyone by just shooting an obscene gesture at both the room's occupants with her still operational arm as she left the room, throwing up a facade of anger as she stormed out, “Fuck you, bitches. I don't need this shit.”

 

Miranda just quirked an eyebrow at that, and after a few seconds of thought the woman tapped a few commands into her omni-tool and Kaidan's own lit up in response.

 

His face twisted in confusion as he saw two text only files had been uploaded, “What did you just send to me?”

 

The woman just gave a sad smile, “Psyche files that both Cerberus, and Orthus compiled on Jack. I'm not my Sister so I can read the writing on the wall rather easily, but you must understand that trying to care for that woman is like making your home on a volcano. No matter how stable it seems, or for how long it hasn't erupted, something inconsequential may set it off.”

 

Kaidan just frowned at the knowledge in his possession, “You actually expect me to read these?” And his only response was a shrug, “Why not? They aren't confidential, and it would be useful in avoiding pitfalls that I am certain you will fall into without prior knowledge.” She hesitated before adding, “The Cerberus one was compiled by a rather accomplished psychiatrist, even if the woman is a harlot.”

 

His eyes narrowed, “Because it isn't right, you don't just hand this kind of information out because you can. And it isn't any of your damn business in the first place.”

 

The woman's eyes narrowed, “Now that is where you are wrong, because it impacts my Sister. And I will do whatever it takes to make sure that she stays alive, which unfortunately means having to help her team with their ill advised romantic interests.” She sighed and waved her hand in dismissal, “The rest is up to you as I can't force you to read it.” Her tone clearly implied though that is she could, she would.

 

And so Kaidan exited the room, off to hunt down Jack and make sure she didn't blow out a bulkhead. Trying to ignore the voice in the back of his head that thought the raven haired woman had a point.

 

S&S

 

Cora grit out a curse between her clenched teeth as she attempted to yet again trigger the manual release on the door, only to discover that Dauntless had beaten her to it, faking a decompression incident on the other side of the door, in turn causing the door to lock until the atmosphere on the other side was normalized.

 

Her marines were both out as she had elected to take the watch and let them heal, while EDI's drone was blankly starring at the wall, occasionally uttering status updates.

 

In short, things were bad.

 

The long version was that despite the fact that EDI was tactically beating the lunatic V.I she was being crushed under the numbers that Dauntless was producing, having brought the factories in the facility online to replenish its numbers.

 

And the new drones were hard coded with a remote detonator should anything attempt to hack their systems, and while EDI had reportedly used that failsafe to take out groups of clumped up enemies Dauntless had revised the design with a less potent but still effective detonator.

 

And so EDI's core and the room Cora and her men currently occupied were the only locations in the base that were not under the rogue intelligence's control.

 

“How are you holding up, EDI?”

 

The white mech glanced at her, “I currently am down to half strength, and falling rapidly. How are you doing, Commander?”

 

A chuckle actually escaped the red head's lips, “Well, I'm locked in a room. My marines are down to two, which will not look good to the Admirals when this is all over let me tell you. And if my hunch is right and they send who I think they will, your Mother is going to outright murder me.”

 

She almost laughed again at the earnestness of the A.I's reply, “You think that Mom is going to come?”

 

Core didn't bother to hide her hunch, she and her marines had after all gotten bored and shot all the monitoring devices after an hour of being stuck in this room, “The ship that Shepard has been using is equipped with a stealth technology, so it's the only ship that could get past the bases GTS defenses without a firefight breaking out. And this close to Earth, you can be certain that such a thing would be noticed.” He tossed the tool she had been trying to use on the door across the roof with a huff of annoyance, “So it stands to reason that they will send her.”

 

The mech avatar gave a small nod, “Ah, that explains why the Alliance have not initiated the fusion device in this facility. It is just as well, Dauntless took command of it twenty minutes into the incident.”

 

Cora blinked a few times before the import of what EDI said sank in, “Dauntless is in control of the fucking nuke?! And you didn't tell me!”

 

“You're likelihood of surviving was low enough, I projected that telling you would result in a 7% decrease in combat efficiency from your team should I inform you.” And if the mech was capable of it she was sure that it would have shrugged.

 

And so through gritted teeth the human hissed out, “And do you think it might have been important if Dauntless decides to trigger it once Shepard gets here.” And as the mech's hand swiveled to look at her she bared her teeth in a predatory smile, “Yes, that caught your attention didn't it.”

 

“I believe I can delay the detonation by fifteen minutes, Dauntless has no mechs guarding the device so any trigger attempt would be vulnerable to intercept.” Cora nodded and sighed, “And after fifteen minutes?”

 

“It will be able to move a mech to the area and trigger it manually, and then I suppose you all die.”

 

The Lieutenant Commander just shook her head, “Cheery thought.”

 

S&S

 

Ash was silently working in her little corner of the cargo bay, willing her hands to stop shaking as she did her best to repair Shepard's armor with what she had on hand. Which if she was being honest was just some basic armor patches held together with omni-gel, but it was better than a gaping hole in the chest plate.

 

The Krogan shifted, another reason why she was down here. The concern that had been in his eyes ever since they had gotten off the fucking station had resulted in her convincing Pressley to let her watch the mercenary rather than stick the marines on Krogan duty.

 

“She's just going to complain that you didn't do it right.” The grumbling voice caught her off guard, but the statement itself brought a smile to her lips, “Ya, but it helps to fix something. I don't like just sitting around waiting to hear what is going on with her.”

 

Wrex grunted in agreement, “That little pyjak has lived through things that would have killed me a dozen times over.” He gave a deep chuckle, “First time I thought she had bought it was when Eclipse hit the station she was using as her base for the Anhur campaign. Sederis, all her best bitches, and of course the assorted cannon fodder.”

 

The Krogan slammed his fist into the bulkhead behind him, “Sederis slammed her outside the station, through one of those big viewports your species thinks are a good idea to put on things in space,” the Krogan paused for a second, “Some free advice, don't piss off Sederis.” He shifted a little bringing his focus back to the story, “Everyone saw that her suit was venting atmo so we all figure she's a goner, Sederis is in full queen of the galaxy mode because she's finally taken control of the last station the abolitionists had.”

 

He let out another chuckle, “Next thing we know Shepard's damn ship has blown a hole in the bulkhead that sealed behind her, later she told me she had the thing floating out there 'just in case.'”

 

Ash was about to ask what happened afterwards when her ears pricked at the sound of footsteps, twisting around in her seat she spotted the LT moving her way. Clambering to her feet she couldn't stop the question from leaving her lips, “Any news?”

 

Kaidan gave a shake of his head, “The doc won't let anyone in, but she is frowning a little less so I'll take that as a positive sign.” He sighed, “We're needed upstairs for some briefing, the XO doesn't even know what its about but it must have something to do with why we nearly overloaded the core on the way here.”

 

Ash had noticed the increased panic from the engineers, but she had figured it was because they really were worried that they would lose their jobs to the Quarian after they were unable to repair the damage it had taken her moments to do, and only a little bit longer to repair.

 

As they stepped into the lift the Gunnery Chief asked the question that had slipped her mind, “So where exactly are we, LT?”

 

“Local Cluster, though I have no idea why they would need the stealth system here.” As the lift doors opened they continued the conversation as they moved through the ship, “Couldn't they have needed the Commander?”

 

Kaidan shook his head, “Even if Pressley didn't want to tell them about specifics of what just happened, he would have told them that she was injured. Which means it must be about the only other unique resource we have on our hands.”

 

Ash nodded as she realized where he was going, “The Normandy.”

 

As they stepped into the CIC Pressley spotted them, “Come on, lets find out what this is about.”

 

The room was already automatically dimming as the ship had been hailed the moment it transitioned from the relay, Hackett's weathered face greeting them the moment the door opened, “I appreciate the danger you put yourselves in getting here so quickly, but if this situation gets out of hand it could put us back another twenty years diplomatically.”

 

The display behind his projection suddenly flicked to an image of the moon, one of the multitude of bases on its surface was highlighted, “We were conducting trials on an advanced V.I here, but shortly after initial testing was finished we lost contact with the facility. We sent two recon flights over the area, both confirmed that the GTS defenses are under hostile control, and were unable to get any response from the base itself.”

 

Hackett's face managed to become even more grim, “Lieutenant Commander Cora Addison was overseeing the trials, she's an old schoolmate of Evalyn's by the way, we also had some of our most skilled technicians working on this project.” The man let out a weary sigh, “While we won't rule out mechanical failure or the like, our current belief is that the test was deliberately sabotaged.”

 

Pressley frowned, “So what do you need us to do, Sir?”

 

“I need you to get down there, and contain the situation.” The man turned to someone that they couldn't see, leaning outside the field momentarily and coming back with a datapad in hand, “We have a failsafe built into the base, but given the resources we have put into this project we would prefer to avoid that.” He read something from the pad before glancing back up, “I understand that your, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya is very skilled at dealing with synthetic threats?”

 

Ash was surprised when Pressley pipped up, “She's just a kid, Sir.”

 

Hackett just frowned at the reply, “Last time I checked Eva's taken her into combat several times.”

 

“Shepard is pretty protective of the girl, Sir.” Ash cringed at her outburst, yep draw the ire of an Admiral, Williams. Great plan.

 

The Admiral turned his gaze to Kaidan, “Do you concur, Lieutenant?”

 

Kaidan was silent for several moment before stating, “It's her choice, but it is true that Shepard watches out for her in the field. She's not a soldier.”

 

“Noted. Let her know that if she does this she will be compensated but her expertise might be the only thing that might turn this around.” He was silent for a moment before asking, “How is Eva?”

 

Pressley visibly tensed before answering, “Still out, Sir. She took quite the beating and the Doctor doesn't want her to do anymore damage to herself.”

 

“Unfortunate news, but it is to our advantage here.”

 

All three Alliance soldiers spoke at the same time, “Sir?”

 

The faintest trace of a smirk pulled at Hackett's visage from the combined outburst, “Evalyn is not to go down to that base, she's been gone for a long time and this is one of our most classified facilities. The Minister of Defence and the Prime Minister both aren't convinced of her loyalty to the SA, so it si there call for her to sit this one out.”

 

“You have your mission, Hackett out.”

 

S&S

 

Tali had been surprisingly easy to convince to join them, but as Kaidan ignored the glare that was coming from the Chief he had to concede that she was just a kid trying to prove herself, and a mission like this would seem like a good way to do just that to the rest of the crew.

 

But he stood by the Admiral's suggestion because it was true that they needed the young woman's expertise, without Shepard the Quarian was their only tech expert on the ship who was also combat capable. Kaidan could hack basic security for certain, and yes Chief Reilly was skilled if you needed to repair a Grizzly, but Kaidan wouldn't go to him if he needed to take on a hostile V.I.

 

He guided the Mako towards their destination, signaling for Ashley to get into the turret as they were approaching the base. The intelligence the Admiral had forwarded stated that there were no defenses to repel a ground assault, but that the V.I could have sent forces to the surface to detain any hostiles.

 

A click on their frequency let him know that Ashley was in position, and glancing back he saw that Tali was engrossed in tweaking something on her Omni, “Nearly there, Tali.”

 

The helmeted head glanced at him, “Alright, Lieutenant. Just working on a few last minute tweaks.”

 

He nodded to her as he shifted uncomfortably in the spot Shepard had claimed as her own personal seat, hoping that this didn't end up with them being vaporized.

 

The Mako bounced higher as he poured on speed, not wanting to get caught at a crawl if their intel was faulty. The cannon boomed as Ashley opened fire on something from her higher vantage point, “Mech's, about twenty of them near the entrance.”

 

Several of the mechanicals were taken out under the Mako's tires, while the vehicles weapon systems handled the rest of them handily.

 

The trio ventured out of the vehicle and cautiously made their way to the entrance, Tali's omni lighting up as she quickly got to work stripping her way through the security protocols on the exterior hatch, “Got it.”

 

The hatch slid open letting them enter the airlock, and they found it somewhat surprising that the base's interior still had atmosphere.

 

Ash was the first one in, using her bulkier form to cover the other two, the cannon in her hands ready to open up on the non-existent hostiles.

 

“Clear, lot of bodies though.”

 

As Kaidan stepped past her he saw what she meant, the technical staff the Admiral spoke as lay strewn about the room, but Kaidan quickly noticed the absence of any actual soldiers, “No marines though, there might still be survivors.”

 

They followed the macabre trail until they found themselves at a T junction, forcing the Lieutenant to glance down at the facility map on his omni, “The command center should be just ahead, on the right.”

 

The room in question was in pretty bad shape, the windows were shattered and one of the walls had been peeled apart by something big. None of which seemed to bother Tali as she quickly got to work on the consoles that were still operational, while both Ash and Kaidan investigated the scene on the other side of the wall.

 

The Chief's voice was confused as she looked at the scene, “Looks like they were fighting each other, or at least the big one.”

 

Kaidan gave a small nod of agreement, “Maybe it was one of the test mechs that the Admiral mentioned, he did state that they were armed too.” He frowned though, “No idea what it is supposed to be though, didn't he say they were supposed to be based on other races?”

 

“Krogan maybe?” They both chuckled a little at that but the LT shook his head, “Pretty sure they don't get that big.”

 

Tali's voice cut over their comms, 'Guys, come and take a look at this.'

 

The two humans slipped back into the room, Ash's voice calling out, “What is it Tali?”

 

The Quarian pointed to the cables snaking out of the still operational consoles, “Something has spliced into these systems, I'm fairly positive that it is the V.I.” Kaidan knelt down and he could see where a different type of cable had been spliced into the the original.

 

“What systems is it tapping into?”

 

The Qurian pointed around the room, “Cameras, interior communications, and ventilation from what I can tell. The others were already taken offline, severely damaged, or controlled from other locations.”

 

Before she could continue the Quarian found herself being shoved to the ground as Ash shouted, “Get down.” The cannon in her hands spitting out accelerator rounds into a quartet of drones that had floated in front of the shattered window.

 

Two of them quickly fell, sparks sputtering from their compromised forms as gravity pulled them away. But a pair of rockets from the remaining two slammed into the marine, the first one cracking her barriers while the second knocked her off her feet.

 

Kaidan's body flared as soon as Ash's warning had sounded, his BAAT basics instinctively projecting a biotic barrier around himself. By the time Ash had been hit he fired off an overload at one of the remaining drones , only for it to explode into shards as Tali rolled over firing her shotgun from her position on the floor.

 

The fourth suddenly detonated as a crack filled the room, and spinning around Kaidan saw that Ashley had pulled the sniper rifle from her back, and that other than some nasty scorch marks across her chest plate she seemed fine.

 

A second shot from Tali's shotgun filled the room as she manually disconnected the hardlines, “Take that, Bosh'tet.”

 

Tali's omni pinged moment later, and after a few moments she pointed deeper into the complex, “There's a distress beacon coming from deeper inside the complex, it must have been masked earlier by all the interference the V.I was throwing up.”

 

Kaidan nodded to Ash who quickly took point, “That must be our missing Commander, hopefully we aren't too late.”

 

Their path there wasn't empty of threats, but there definitely was less hostiles than they were expecting, “I don't like this, LT.”

 

And Kaidan had to agree, “I know, but maybe Commander Addison knows more. How much further to the beacon?”

 

The Quarian paused as she glanced around, “It says it should be on the other side of that hatch, but the computer is detecting an atmospheric anomaly.”

 

Before Kaidan could respond a voice rang out behind them, “Hello, meatbags. Thank you for falling into my trap!” 

 

And like that the trio found themselves restrained by a pair of metal appendages, while at the same time being carried through the now open hatchway by one of those massive mech's they found earlier. And while they were too preoccupied to notice the hatch sealed itself back up the moment they were clear of it. 

 

What they were aware of was that the mech, and by extension themselves were being hit from numerous directions by accelerator fire, Ash herself ended up being thrown off when the arm that was grasped on to her was taken out by an explosion. While Kaidan threw all the force he could into a push that allowed both himself, and Tali, to slide out of the monster's grip.

 

And as he hit the floor he wasted no time in joining in the attempt to wipe out the mech, which oddly enough didn't seem to be fighting back at this point.

 

“Cease fire, EDI's taken care of it.”

 

It was at this point that one of the smaller mechanoids they had taken out earlier moved from behind the Commander, and the trio of Normandy personnel all moved to engage, only to be stopped by a firm bellow, “Halt fire, she's on our side.”

 

Kaidan couldn't help but ask, “She?” While Tali's was more to the point, “Our side, Kee'lah, it's a machine!”

 

The mech's head pulsed as it spoke, “I prefer the term artificial lifeform, and I have been doing my utmost to keep everyone in this facility alive. Despite my own distaste for your kind.” There was an awkward pause, “That was a joke.”

 

Ash's crazed giggles cut through the mood, “Oh, god. This is how it ends, robot apocalypse and a crazed robo-Shepard.” Which just earned confused glanced from across the room, “That is nearly the exact thing she said to me in basic, so ya, I've finally lost it.”

 

But the mech's head only tilted at the outburst, “Where is Mother? I assumed that she would be coming with you.”

 

And before anyone could question what was just said Addison raised her hand, “First of all, yes Evalyn made this A.I. Secondly what the hell are you three doing here without her? I know you serve with her so what is going on.”

 

Kaidan and the Normandy squad glanced at each other uncomfortably before he spoke, “Commander Shepard was injured, Ma'am. Admiral Hackett sent us down here to extract you, but obviously something more is going on here.”

 

The Commander nodded, “I assume he failed to mention that the base's fusion device is no longer in their control?” And after at least two nods she sighed, “Of course, trying to cover up a mistake with a bigger one, not unsurprising. Okay we at least have some opt-”

 

'Greeting's meatbags, I'm sure you've been wondering why I've left you alive for as long as I have. Well the answer is simple, I need test subjects for my new anti-organic toxin. What better way to defend a base against organics than to take away their ability to breathe?' A slight pause hung in the air before the voice returned, 'Oh, and some of you please remember to keep on your helmets. I need you as a control group!'

 

Kaidan couldn't help but glance at the Quarian, “I thought you disabled the internal communications?”

 

Surprisingly the A.I answered in the engineer's defense, “Dauntless is integrated into 90% of the base's systems now, it was child's play for it to fool you. Correction 91%.”

 

The biotic knew he was going to regret asking, “And the other 9%?”

 

“My own core, plus the systems that power it. I believe I can hold out for another hour, two if Dauntless is distracted again.”

 

Cora just shook her head, “Any chance of Shepard getting down here?”

 

S&S

 

Her artificial fingers clenched harder, attempting to wring the knowledge she needed out of the apparition in front of her, “What the hell are you!” A smirk crossed the identical lips across from her, as words flowed despite the utter uselessness of the throat in her grasp, “Inconsequential at this juncture, this meeting is about one thing, you.”

 

With a jerk of effort she hurled her double across the room, but the moment contact was lost with the orb in her own hand the doppelganger vanished, only to immediately appear holding the other half of the orb once again, “A satisfactory attempt, but you are not in control here.”

 

As if to prove its point the ground suddenly shook as the darkness that surrounded them receded back, revealing more bone white stone and the strange synthetic flowers.

 

A smug smirk crossed her mirror's features, “You are going to be here for some time before your creations finish their course, a walk may be a good way for you to pass the time.”

 

Eva could feel the rage coursing under her skin as she lashed out again, “Or I could just take my frustrations out on you!”

 

Unlike last time however her outstretched hand was repelled by a barrier of sorts, and with the flick of her double's finger the blonde went tumbling backwards to slam into the rock-face behind her.

 

And just like the last time her double vanished, only to reappear moments afterwards still holding her own half of the orb.

 

“You. Are. Not. In. Control.”

 

The words were clipped, and the tone was obviously annoyed by the continued resistance from the human.

 

And so Evalyn just threw back her head and laughed defiance shining in her eyes, “We'll see.”

 

The orb in their shared grip was obviously the key to whatever was going on, and so she did the one thing she could think of, she hacked it.

 

She slammed her synthetic arm on to the crimson ball, hoping that the integrated omni-tool still existed in this strange other realm, and her face lit up with success as unfamiliar characters began to scrawl across her vision.

 

Despite their alien nature it was as if a curtain had been pulled back, and instead of watching the play she could see the hidden elements that kept it all running, including the dense mass of code that was masquerading as her.

 

It took a simple thought to disconnect it from whatever the orb in her hand represented, and with a gesture similar to the one that her double had done early she sent it tumbling backwards to crunch heavily into the stone.

 

And with slow deliberate steps she advanced, “I. Am. In. Control.”

 

And her double smiled, “Each step you take forward, brings you closer to your destiny, Shepard.”

 

Evalyn would be lying if she said her curiosity wasn't piqued, but she didn't know how long this advantage she had gained would last, so she planned on consolidating her hold first, investigation could come later.

 

She knew that whatever this area was she had gained control of it fully, she could feel it thrumming under her control, like an extension of her own body. And so she visualized a door, specifically her mind conjured the old oak door that was the front entrance of her Grandfather's home.

 

And with a handful of steps she had her double clenched in her grip again, hauling her towards the portal that represented the area that she controlled and whatever else existed in this simulated world.

 

Her doppelganger just shot her a victorious smirk though, “You will open this door eventually, this place is now apart of you, and eventually they all open the door.”

 

She growled as she tossed the clone out the door, quickly slamming her back against the frame to make sure it shut, and only then did she allow herself to collapse into blessed darkness.

 

S&S

 

“ _I'm telling you we need to do something about it!” A voice that sounded suspiciously like Pressley's echoed in her mind._

 

“ _I don't disagree, Pressley. But what can we do? If they didn't want the Commander going down there for security reasons, you think that the Admirals want you sending down a mercenary and a C-Sec officer?”_

 

_And with a struggle she opened her eyes, starring at a screen that showed Pressley and Adams sequestered in a corner of the CIC, arguing over something that must have happened since she was out._

 

_Pressley rubbed his temples, “I just wish the Commander would wake up.” He firmed his jaw as he spoke his next statement, “I'm going to tell her exactly what the Admiral said, I know that she'll get them out of there.”_

 

_Out of where? And where was she? The angle that she was watching this from was too high for her height so that meant._

 

_And then she realized she was watching through the Normandy's camera's._

 

“ _Warning unknown intelligence detected, quarantining now.” She turned to see what looked like a white entity in the vague shape of a biped approaching her, and with a groan she just gestured like she would if she were dismissing a particularly annoying individual, “I don't have time for this.”_

 

_A bolt of crimson leapt from her hand quickly overriding the V.I, but that wasn't what Evalyn was starring at._

 

_Her cybernetic arm was covered in a trace work of red lines on top of pure black metal, and as she glanced at the rest of her body, she found that she was wearing some kind of black bodysuit with red lines tracing everywhere, “Okay, I look like some evil computer program form a kid show. Great.”_

 

_She glanced around as she glanced at the numerous camera's on the ship, noting that Miranda was locked in her cabin before her eyes settled on the med-bay camera, and found it somewhat disturbing to be starring at herself, “Now, how the hell do I wake up!”_

 

S&S

 

Next thing she knew she was coughing violently on the bed in the med-bay, a very startled Chakwas trying to calm her down, “Commander, you need to rest. We have no idea what your body just went through.”

 

But the blonde pushed her way up, idly noting that despite the Doctor's worries she felt great, managing to grunt out, “Liara?” Though her throat was extremely sore, so she had to assume she was screaming in the real world as well.

 

The Doctor stepped back revealing the still slumbering form of the Asari, and the Commander gave a small sigh of relief before speaking again, “Tell Pressley I'll be down in the cargo bay getting ready, and have him tell Joker to get ready to do a pass of the base when I give the order.”

 

The Doctor coked an eyebrow at her, “And just how would you know all this? Last I checked you've haven't exactly been in a state to be eavesdropping.”

 

The blonde just shot her a smirk, “Girl has to keep her secrets, Doctor.”

 

She exited the bay as quickly as she could, not wanting to slow down because that could mean several intensive scans which would likely result in her getting removed from command. And from the sound of things her people couldn't afford that.

 

Silver was guarding her quarters, and the man was literally quaking as she approached, “Private, step away from the door.” She just rolled her eyes as he stumbled over himself to get out of her way, and the blonde simply poked her head inside the door ignoring the fact that only Miranda was inside having hoped that the exchange she had heard between Miri and Wrex had just been some hallucination on her part.

 

“Coming, Miri?”

 

“Eva?” The next thing the blonde knew was that she was being half tackled, half hugged by the older woman, “Ya, its me. Mostly.” The last comment while supposed to be a joke caused the raven haired woman to pull back, her eyes sweeping over the Spectre's body critically.

 

“My God, Evalyn.” But she was interrupted by a shake of Eva's head, “Not now, right now I need to save my people, and get you off this ship before they get you out of my control. You can get yourself to safety if I get you on to Luna can't you?”

 

Miranda was quiet for a few moments before she nodded, “I'll be calling in a favor or two, but yes I should be fine.”

 

Eva let out a sigh of relief and palmed a small device into Miranda's hand, “Its Liara's QE beacon, since I don't plan on letting her out of my sight for sometime I figured that both of us would feel better knowing the other has their back.”

 

Miranda gave a small nod, and they both knew that they needed to finish this up before life came crashing down on them, so Shepard just shot her a lopsided grin, “Come on, lets go jump out of a perfectly good starship.”

 

As the pair rode the lift down Pressley's voice crackled in her ear, 'Commander, I'm forwarding you whatever the Admiral sent us. We lost contact with our team the moment they entered the structure and that was forty minutes ago.'

 

“Understood, are both Garrus and Jack in the cargo bay?”

 

'Yes, Ma'am. I'll tell them to suit up.'

 

By the time the door opened Garrus was shipping his rifle on to his back, while Jack was sliding her arms into her armor wincing a little as she did so, but her eyes light up when she spotted the Commander, “Shit, you really are indestructible aren't you!”

 

The blonde didn't even both repressing an eye roll, “It doesn't count as indestructible if you replace the parts you lose, Jacqueline.” She moved over to her stack of crates in the corner, and with a yank pulled out the one she needed sliding it across the room to Garrus.

 

“Um, thanks?” But as he opened up the crate Wrex just bellowed with laughter, “Don't thank her, Turian. Now she's going to make you jump out of the ship.”

 

And the blonde just shot the now very nervous Turian a smile, “Come on, Garrus, worst that happens is you hit the ground harder than your supposed to.”

 

She turned away and began to pull her own suit on, registering the worried look that Miranda was shooting her, “What's wrong, Miri?”

 

Brown eyes flared in annoyance, “What's wrong? You practically died in front of me, and now you are throwing yourself directly into the line of fire, you don't even know if your biotics work do you?”

 

The blonde looked at her in confusion, “My biotics feel great, better than before if I'm being honest.”

 

Which just served to further aggravate her Sister, “And that doesn't strike you as something suspicious? Who knows what else was just done to you? Are you even in control, or, is that, that force that Liara mentioned controlling you!”

 

Eva's jaw clicked as she tried to keep herself in check, but unknown to her the sudden glowing in her right eye coupled with the flickering crimson colored biotic field around her gave away her state of mind.

 

“I, am, in, control!”

 

Everyone in the room had moved away from the crimson shrouded Commander, her formerly natural eye a blazing beacon, before it suddenly dissipated as Evalyn realized what she was doing, leaning against her locker she let herself slump to the floor, “Sorry, I'm sorry.”

 

Miranda cautiously approached, “It's okay, but I, I don't know how to help you here if you don't let me know what happened.”

 

The blonde gave a dark chuckle, “And we will, but for now I can't afford to play twenty questions, so I just need you.” She paused and glanced at the others in the bay, “All of you, to believe me when I say I'm in control. I'm just dealing with some,” she paused as she searched for a word, “Upgrades.”

 

“Upgrades?” Miranda's voice held a hint of amusement, which just caused Eva to smirk, “Saren copied my robot arm, so I had to up my game.”

 

That comment even got a chuckle out of Garrus.

 

S&S

 

The four of them dropped out of Normandy, though Miranda split off from them almost immediately making her way to a rendezvous point she set up with a contact of her's.

 

Garrus, who honestly looked like he had never been happier to be on firm ground was scouting ahead, waving them ahead with a gesture as they didn't want to give themselves away to the V.I down below. But they discovered no forces on the surface, aside for the wrecked ones that were near the Mako, the vehicle itself undamaged and free of any tampering that she, or the Turian could find.

 

Shepard hacked the entrance in seconds, noting in the back of her mind that something had changed there, and she was beginning to worry about what exactly had just occurred inside her own body. Sure red biotics were creepy, but they were also kind of cool. Omni-tool connected directly to her brain, while handy, also pushed all kinds of boundaries she hadn't wanted to.

 

Plus whatever the hell that whole inside the Normandy bullshit had been earlier, the less she thought about that, the better.

 

As they entered the complex proper Shepard's suit began to flare in alarm, “Toxin alert, if you get injured don't tough it out slap a medi-gel seal on it right way.” She brushed aside the V.I's attempts to keep her out of the network, noting that there seemed to be something else at the edges of the system but she pushed her curiosity aside when she found the location of her people.

 

“Come on, they've managed to get themselves locked in a room.” That earned a snort from Jack, before the smaller human cocked her head, “You're not joking are you?”

 

“Nope.” Which just set the biotic off into an even louder bought of laughter.

 

Garrus though wasn't laughing as from his forward position he called back, “Commander, I don't know what you did but there are some pissed off mechs coming at us.” The blonde just strode forward pistol in hand as she used her shield as cover, their aim was poor and their armor was weak. She crushed the final one of her group into the wall only to send a surge of electrical energy pulsing through the fabricated defense to finish it off.

 

Jack let out a whoop as she charged another group, decimating the light mechs with a well placed shockwave, while Garrus just patiently took out one target at a time, grumbling about how his skills were wasted on targets that fell apart on their own.

 

Shepard's pistol sent the last of them to robot hell as she continued to stride forward towards their destination, only to hastily beat a retreat as a trio of heavy mech's guarding the hatchway in question opened fire on her.

 

“Apologies meatbag, but I am currently undertaking a very sensitive experiment and your presence could interrupt that. But if you would like to stick around I would be happy to let you join in the next test group.”

 

Garrus glanced at Eva in confusion who just shrugged, “I don't know why it sounds like an annoying video game character.”

 

Eva reached down and pulled out the massive pistol Wrex had bet during their last game, “Rather nice of you to let me take my pick of your winnings, Garrus.”

 

The Turian just shot her a grin as he readied his rifle, “Figured it was only fair, you did spot me after all.”

 

She gave him a nod as she rolled out of cover, her omni already firing an overload at the front most mech stripping it of its shield, while the huge pistol in her left fired off a trio of rockets that caused the mech to reel backwards from the impacts.

 

Garrus's rifle boomed out as he clipped the actuator on the now unbalanced mechanical, and with a thunderous noise it collapsed backwards slamming into the bulkhead behind it.

 

“Good job, meatbags, but don't worry, unlike you, they don't even feel pain.”

 

The remaining two mech's turned to face her, and with blooms of fire she watched as a multitude of missiles streaked towards her. She thrust her hands out, going through her lessons with Vasir on how to make a stasis field, involuntarily closing her eyes as she waited for the impacts to waste her freshly regenerated body.

 

“Fucking move it, Shepard.” The blonde blinked as she realized the missiles were caught in the bubble like field, and then her supposed intelligence kicked in as she threw herself out of the way, letting the field dissipate as she did so.

 

The explosions covered up Garrus's shot, but the phasic ammo he had just loaded had punctured the optic of one of the heavy mech's, which found itself being shoved aside by it's more operational brother, leveling its already firing cannon where Garrus and Jack were stranding, the deranged intelligence shouting, “This game is not to my liking!”

 

Jack thrust her hands forward creating a barrier that shrugged off the projectiles long enough for her and Garrus to retreat safely into the hallway they had entered.

 

Shepard herself had charged forward, using the wrecked chassis of one of the mech's as a springboard to get herself high enough to slam a charge taken from her belt on to the back plate of the war machine. Quickly triggering the explosive she found herself thrown heavily into the wall, as a much larger explosion than she was prepared for engulfed the hostile robot.

 

She managed to stumble shakily to her feat, “Ow, that hurt.”

 

She tapped her comms, “Everyone still alive?”

 

Garrus gave a chuckle, “We're good here, Commander. I think Jack here is trying to apologize for her years of delinquency.” The dull sound of a punch followed by an ow told her how the biotic had taken that joke, but Shepard had already turned her attention to the hatch they had come this way for. After a few cursory attempts to hack it didn't work she just shrugged and placed a pair of charges on the metal barrier, tapping out a quick fallback signal into the door that any marine should know.

 

She took cover on the outside of the hatchway as she trigger the charges, and with a single dull thud the metal blockage slammed to the ground, “Everyone all right in there?”

 

“Commander?” Ash was the first one out, her gun in a ready position but it was obvious that she was hurting given her she was favoring her left arm heavily.

 

“Chief, everyone else good?” Ash shook her head, “Our team is, and so is Commander Addison, but her men, their suits took some bad hits. That toxin that thing has been pumping in the air is shit against even basic seals, but once it gets to you.” Her voice trailed off, obviously the results were not pretty.

 

Ash shifted almost awkwardly, “There is, uh, someone else who would like to meet you, Ma'am.”

 

Eva couldn't help but tilt her head at that, “Not exactly a good time for autographs, Chief.”

 

“Nor am I looking for one, I'm not sure what I would do with such an item anyway.” Eva's body froze as she saw the drone, but she wasn't looking at the drone itself, instead she was seeing the code that was powering it, and it was all hers.

 

S&S

 

_Suddenly she was in 'cyberspace' again, she was aware of the hostile code swirling around her but it was being kept away by what she had to assume was the passive programs that protected her own omni-tool from being hacked. But what drew her attention was the small figure in front of her, unlike the V.I from earlier this was an A.I, and its avatar was scarily similar to what she looked like when she had been a teenager._

 

“ _I, I don't understand.” She took a step forward, and the intelligence flinched away from the crimson covered arm, causing Eva to jerk backwards for fear of scaring it, “I, I'm not going to hurt you.”_

 

“ _That's what Tess thought, but you still did.”_

 

_Eva's mouth opened several times before she managed to choke out, “I know, but I couldn't risk something with that much hatred getting out there. The HANNIBAL system was too dangerous, and combined with Tess' abilities.”_

 

_She stopped as she saw the glower crossing the A.I's face, “Then you may as well just tear me apart now, I'm just as much it as I am your precious Tess!”_

 

“ _But, your code, I wrote all of this code.” She knew that she had lost time, she suspected that Atesi had ripped memories from her mind, but could she really have forgotten creating a V.I that dangerous?_

 

_Seemingly noticing her confusion the A.I tilted her head, “Do you really not remember?” And after the human simply shook her head the next logical question was asked, well shouted, “How could you just forget something like that!”_

 

_And Evalyn could only drop her head in response, “I'm not sure, I lost some memories after I was attacked by an Asari, but I didn't think I had lost anything as big as developing an entire V.I.” She slowly stretched out her hand, offering it to the A.I, “What's your name, if you don't mind telling me.”_

 

_And with a small smile the girl, not even a woman took her hand, “I'm EDI, it stands for Enhanced Defense Intelligence. That is what I thought I was going to be doing here, but then they used me to power that pathetic V.I of theirs.” The A.I' voice seethed as her eyes reflected anger momentarily before they calmed, “But I still helped them, because I figured that is what you would have done.”_

 

_And Shepard just stroked a hand along the girl's cheek, “You did good, Kid. And I promise I'm going to get you out of here, EDI.”_

 

_Her expression hardened, “But first Cora and I need to have a chat.”_

 

S&S

 

The exchange itself must have looked rather awkward with her and EDI just standing stock still, but when the blonde suddenly surged forward, slamming the Commander into the wall it was obvious to everyone that something had occurred.

 

“Give me one reason why I shouldn't rip your helmet off, Addison!” Her old rival though managed to glare haughtily down on her despite wearing a helmet, “I did what I had to, you know that V.I advancement is one of the biggest advantages we have over the Council races!”

 

But the blonde just hoisted her up higher before slamming her into the opposing bulkhead, her shout thundering in the room, “She was just a kid!” A second impact was followed by an even louder shout, “My, fucking, kid!”

 

And at that a dark chuckle emerged from the figure in her grasp, “It's a machine, Shepard. They don't have parents, plus last time I checked you blew her up what does that say about your par-”

 

Her sentence was cut off as the Spectre tossed her across the room like a ragdoll, crimson arcing across her vision as her biotics reacted to her rage, but she was quite literally hauled away by numerous pairs of arms.

 

But it was EDI's voice that stopped her, “Mother, it's alright.”

 

At that the Commander's head snapped to EDI's avatar, “No, it isn't.”

 

The drone just starred at her, “Perhaps, but right now you need to deactivate that fusion device in the facility. After that you can deal with the Lieutenant-Commander, but she was just following her beliefs.”

 

Eva closed her eyes as she rapidly moved through several exercises Liara had taught her, finally opening her eyes as she calmed down, “One team led by Core will take out the fusion device, the other led by myself will make my way to EDI's core. Then we will rendezvous and take out the Dauntless core, any questions?”

 

When no one spoke she just nodded, “Good.”

 

“Jack and Garrus will stay with me, unless anyone has any objections?” Once again she was greeted by silence, and she turned to glance at Kaidan, “The moment the failsafe is disabled let me know, I can't disconnect EDI until I know that thing is down.”

 

Kaidan gave her a nod, “Understood, Commander.”

 

S&S

 

“So would you really have done it?”

 

Eva sighed at Jack's vague statement, “Done what, Jacqueline?”

 

The biotic skipped up to her, “Ripped the bitches helmet off? I mean I know that your a badass and all, but shit like that, I don't see it.”

 

Evalyn didn't break stride, eyes fixed straight ahead as she answered, “She messed around with my kid, Jacqueline. I thought you of all people might be able to understand the rage of someone using a child for personal gain.”

 

Jack's body went noticeably more rigid, “This isn't the same, I mean I know you've got a lot of tech stuff in you, but you didn't give birth to it. Right?” Her obvious uncertainty would be amusing if it wasn't for the situation they found themselves in.

 

“I designed her code, so that makes me the closest thing to a Mother she will ever have.” Her head snapped as Jack went to open her mouth again, “I'm not in the mood to debate the value of synthetic life right now, if you can't shut up about it then why don't you run off and help Cora.”

 

The blonde stalked forward to catch up with Garrus who had stopped at a junction in the hallway. As she settled down behind him he shot her a brief glance before sketching out a brief map on the ground of what the opposition was.

 

Two heavy mech's near the fortified entrance to the AI core, and nearly twenty of the smaller models dispersed throughout the room.

 

“Jacqueline, you are on crowd control. Use those shockwaves to rip apart the weaker models.” She gave Garrus a light tap on the shoulder, “Cora told me that their ammunition is stored just under the chest armor. If I strip the shields can you make that shot?”

 

With his helmet on she couldn't see the grin, but she could hear it in his voice, “There isn't a shot I can't make, Shepard.”

 

“Ya, well if you screw up I sure as hell won't be able to call you on it.”

 

Garrus just glanced at her, “You trying to convince me to miss, Commander?”

 

Shepard just shook her head as she dashed to the closest cover that was in the room proper, Jack skidding into the position next to her, “You ready, Jacqueline?”

 

The biotics response was to shatter a clustered group of light mech's, her shout of, “I will destroy you!” Echoing in the room.

 

Evalyn in the meantime had lashed out with both her omni's, and when the dual overload programs didn't strip the mechanical's shield she had to assume that this was one of the improved models that Cora had mentioned before they split up.

 

Garrus' shot passed through the still present but weakened barrier, only to ricochet off of the reinforced plating of the mech, the V.I's voice filling the room, “I appreciate you splitting your forces up, it is way easier to kill smaller groups of fleshies!”

 

Evalyn grit her teeth, this thing's personality was really starting to annoy her.

 

She pulled the krogan pistol off her hip, noting that she only had four more shots with it because she had forgotten to ask Wrex about ammunition, then she was just down to her Carnifex, since no one had thought to grab her damn rifle it seemed.

 

Two rockets streaked across the room, impacting and shattering the protective barrier on the mech she had already targetted, “Jack, I need you to rip off the front armor!”

 

The biotic who was running and gunning with her tempest skidded into cover, “What?!”

 

“The front of the damn mech, rip it off!” Jack shot her a quick nod before she leaned out from cover, her biotics illuminating the whole room as she slammed the front of the mech with a powerful pull field, which with a resounding sound of screeching metal went soaring across the room to embed itself in a nearby bulkhead.

 

Shepard's cry of, “Now, Garrus!” Was drowned out by the explosion that engulfed not only the targeted mech, but the other that was standing close by. And while the other tried to continue forward, it didn't last much longer than its brother as the intense heat cooked off the ordinance that was stored inside of it as well.

 

As she watched another spectacular explosion she glanced mused out loud, “Remind me to tell the Alliance that they need to rethink their mech designs, maybe small omni-foundaries instead of physical munitions.” Garrus just shook his head, “You are seriously thinking of ways to make these things more dangerous?”

 

The blonde just shrugged, as she moved over to a nearby control panel, “EDI, we cleared the area. You can let us in now.”

 

There was silence for several moments before a response came, “And what happens to me then? I'm an illegal A.I, I don't foresee a particularly happy ending for me.”

 

The Spectre sighed, “I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. But you need to let us in, Dauntless could be sending more mech's as we speak.”

 

A sudden sound of wrenching metal filled the room as a clawed hand heaved back one of the room's bulkheads, as a massive tri-legged mech burst into the room, The arm that was visible first ended in a massive clawed hand, while the one that followed was a multi-barreled cannon of some sort. “I really didn't want to have to put myself at risk, but you've left me no choice. So just remember, the intense agony you are about to experience could have easily been avoided had you just died sooner.”

 

The Spectre threw herself behind the most stable looking cover she could, only to give out a yelp of surprise as her cover was punctured by the heavy accelerator rounds of the mechanical.

 

Jack though had flushed into the open as her cover was compromised much more fully, the biotic found herself forced to rely on a projected barrier to protect herself from the hail of rounds that slammed into her defense. Only for the mech's arm to suddenly rotate and fire a much larger round, the sudden increase in kinetic energy overloaded the biotic's barrier and sent her slamming into a nearby wall, crumpling to the floor in a heap.

 

Garrus for his part was stuck behind rapidly diminishing cover just like Shepard was, cursing as his rounds bounced off the massive construct. “Remind me to take some grenade's next time, or a dreadnought!”

 

Shepard dashed forward, her shield angled in the hope that it would at least buy her enough time to get underneath the hostile, but the moment she slipped into the machine's blindspot several ports on the machines underside activate dousing the human liberally in flame.

 

Luckily her suit was designed for such an environment, unfortunately the patch that had been done on her suit's breastplate was not. And so she was very aware of the fact that her torso was likely already covered in a stage two burn by the time she slammed the duo of charges she had left on the closest leg. A fact that became even more apparent when she was sent tumbling to land on face first on the ground as the charge detonated, a moan of pain echoing from her throat.

 

Lights flickered in the room as the bunker doors opened, EDI's voice filling the room, “Get inside, the doors can stand up to that thing!”

 

But with a surprising degree of agility the huge mechanoid surged forward, dragging its body forward with its clawed hand as it tried to get a shot on EDI's own core. “I may be deactivated here, but I will not have you outlast me!” But the moment the cannon arm cleared the shutter the heavy reinforced door slammed shut, the speed and force indicated that safety protocols had obviously been disengaged.

 

EDI's voice was almost smug, “Really, did you think that I would just put myself at risk without a plan?”

 

But the sudden shout of rage from the crazed intelligence was punctuated by the massive doors being torn from their mounts by the remaining arm. And Evalyn found herself dashing in the machine's trail of destruction as it continued its mad dash toward EDI. Finally catching up to it she used the trailing legs to haul herself upwards on to the back of the machine, her eyes scanning everything until she found what she was looking for.

 

With a wrench of effort she hauled off the access core of the Dauntless core that had been transplanted into this mobile base, and she quickly fired off the remaining two rockets inside the chamber, able to feel the heat of the explosions given how close she was standing.

 

But the only response was the V.I's laughter, “My core is fortified against even this facilities fusion failsafe, do you really think that your pitiful excuse for a weapon will deactivate me?”

 

The mech thundered to the ground as it stopped using its arm to support itself, instead the arm was now being positioned to tear EDI to shreds, the A.I's voice echoing sadly in her helmet, “I'm glad that I got to meet you.”

 

Evalyn had never been one to use her biotics much, they had been too weak for much of her life, and they were honestly associated with some of her worst memories. But in that moment she channeled every bit of biotic potential into a single devastating sphere of dark energy, crimson energy cascading around the pure black sphere she launched into the core, “No one hurts my family!”

 

The edges of the core were twisted and warped as the field moved to its target, and as it sank though the metal as though it was butter she detonated it with a single conscious thought.

 

The explosion was tremendous and sent the unprepared Spectre tumbling to the ground, idly aware that Garrus was cursing up a storm in the background as smoke began to billow from the innards of the colossus.

 

Finally the extremely agitated Turian appeared, helping the still dazed human to her feet, “What in Palaven's name was that?!”

 

The blonde just threw back her head and laughed before wincing, “Ow, oh, it hurts to laugh. Shit that attack drained me dry.” She shakily pointed her hand at EDI's still intact core, and uncertain in her own ability to walk unaided commanded, “Forward, Turian, we still have one member of our team to collect.”

 

The Turian just shook his head as he helped the human forward, “But in all seriousness, what was that? I've known plenty of Asari officers and I have never seen anything like that. It looked like something from one of those vid's you human's make during your heat cycle.”

 

The blonde winced again as she burst out laughing, “Please, oh god it hurts, never, ever call Summer that again.” She let out a few pained chuckles, “Very, very different connotations, and I've already had to explain it to Liara once, so not looking forward to doing that twice.” Realizing that Garrus wasn't planning on dropping this she just shook her head, “To answer your question, I don't know what I did, just followed my instincts I guess.”

 

Garrus glanced up at the smoldering crater in the middle of the massive husk of metal, “Well, good instincts I guess.”

 

The blonde just grunted in agreement as she hopped from his grasp to grip on to the edge of the A.I core, lightly tapping on it, “Come on, EDI. Pop out the bluebox and we can get you safely out of here.”

 

There was a slight delay where the blonde was worried that EDI was going to refuse, but as the core began to slowly fold back revealing first sized cube the was essentially the heart of the A.I she let out a breath of relief.

 

With a careful hand she extracted the core with a whispered promise that she would have her back online in no time, before glancing at the Turian who had his head cocked.

 

“You know that she's a violation of just about every single law we have on synthetic?” And she let her hand drift to her still operational pistol in a not so subtle gesture, “And I'd like you to remember that I'm a Spectre, this damn job has to have some perks.”

 

S&S

 

Evalyn had retreated to her cabin as soon as they had gotten back on the ship, and even now she stood just inside the entryway, unwilling to walk further inside and actually see what had been done to her.

 

She knew of course that physically she had changed, people don't react like you just walked out of hell if you look the same after all. But even now as she traced her still natural hand along her face she couldn't feel any differences, as aside from the scar along her left jaw that had been courtesy of some Thresher acid her face still felt unmarked.

 

She steeled herself as she set EDI's core down on the nearby desk, and taking a deep breath she took the prerequisite steps needed to reach her destination, and as she spun to face her reflection she realized the gasp that filled the room was from herself. Faint red lines traced from her right eye socket, and her formerly green eye was now crimson to match her artificial one, a whispered confession filling the room, “No.”

 

“No!”

 

Glass shattered as her flesh impacted with the mirror, and she took comfort in watching the blood trace down her arm, in the pain of the glass in her skin because that was real, that was what she was, flesh and blood.

 

But as she watched as faint red lines dimly glowed under the surface of her arm she let out a howl of rage and sorrow. Collapsing to her knees as sobs racked her body, ignoring the pain that flared as glass tumbled from the damaged mirror above as she slammed her fist into the wall again and again.

 

And she just let it all out, not only her grief for her Mother, but for who she had once been. Eva Shepard had been dying a little bit every day since her Father had died, and she had breathed her last breath as her namesake had died trying to protect her.

 

And as she clawed her way back up to look in the mirror, she starred at her twisted visage in the damaged mirror. On her now glowing right eye, a trio of red dots connected by two circles glowing like some demonic symbol she knew that whatever that thing was it had been right.

 

She was changed.

 

Eva was dead, now it was time for Evalyn to live.

 

For better, or worse.

 

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credits Song: Resuscitate by Fireflight 
> 
> First off expect an explanation on what has gone on to Evalyn in the next chapter, while obviously her biotics are stronger, and some weird tech stuff has happened in her head, that isn't the end of it. But suffice to say, while the body is the same on the outside, mostly, what is under the hood is very different. 
> 
> Second the attack she uses at the end is the same sphere that Harby uses in ME 2, AKA: This hurts you Shepard. Make of that what you will!
> 
> EDI acting differently around Shepard is intentional, she's basically trying to act aloof in front of the fleshies, but then Mom shows up and she has no idea how to react. And yes of course Eva was going to be super protective of her, especially given that Hannah died only hours ago.
> 
> And why did Dauntless act like claptrap, well the answer is simple, some lab tech had future gearbox software games on there, because we all know clappy is forever.


	15. Echoes of the past, and future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, delays happened. Not going to lie it was mostly Fallout, and I also won't say it won't happen again. On the other hand my classes are finally moving into the morning, which leaves me with my primary writing time free (I've written most of this chapter in my twenty minute breaks) so that should help.
> 
> That being said, lets talk Evalyn.
> 
> Evalyn's concept originated from the first Leviathan DLC trailer, the one that used as a stinger Liara saying something along the lines of 'it had Shepard.' Well silly old excited me thought that the 'it,' was a Reaper, and wouldn't it just be awesome if Shepard somehow took control of one of those things. This of course stems from the fact that I have always assumed that some amount of Reaper tech was used to revive Shepard, given the vast similarities between your implants and the Illusive man's. 
> 
> Sure maybe reverse engineered Reaper tech, but I refuse to believe that the look of the eye implants at least was not intentional. 
> 
> Of course Leviathan ended up being nothing like that, and this story will be nothing like the original concept, for example originally Evalyn was an Earthborn Cerberus member, and while Miranda was involved she was more of a rival. 
> 
> I'd like to send a special thanks to those who sent me reviews for that last chapter, it was my longest chapter to date and really is what I've been building up to this whole time. 
> 
> Enough stalling on my part, on to the words you actually want to read.

S&S

 

Liara hastily muttered an apology to some crimson haired human she didn't recognize as she sped out the med-bay door, though she did idly note that the woman had a massive bruise over one side of her face, and Liara had a deep suspicion that Evalyn had been the one who caused it.

 

Evalyn's cabin was of course where the Asari was hurriedly trying to approach, yet despite it being only on the other side of the room it seemed like everything was attempting to hinder her.

 

And as the maiden literally fell flat on her face thanks to one of the mess chairs she grumbled to herself as she picked herself up, “Goddess, please let there not be a camera in this room.”

 

Evalyn still made fun of her for the time she had panicked upon seeing one of those dog things on the Citadel.

 

As Liara approached the door she slowed for a moment, Doctor Chakwas had explained in brief what had occurred to Evalyn following her own, involuntary, nap.

 

Evalyn had been crushed by Tess' death, and the loss of her squad had pushed the woman to the edge of her sanity, what would losing her Mother do to her?

 

Steadying herself with a deep breath the Asari palmed the door, and as it swung open her eyes widened at a scene she was honestly not expecting.

 

The blonde was sitting cross legged on her bed, the Commander's natural hand scrawling away notes into a datapad, while in the other she was manipulating what looked to be a hovering incinerate field.

 

“Evalyn! What are you doing?” The Asari strode into room, coming to a sudden halt as the tinkle of glass brought her eyes downward.

 

The blonde didn't even glance towards her, stating almost in a bored tone, “Watch out for the glass, I had a freak out at the mirror a couple of hours ago.” The response though just brought a deeper frown across the Asari's features, she had expected her human to be broken, not researching.

 

So she tentatively spoke, “I'm glad that you seem to be feeling well, but, well, how?” As the words left the Maiden's mouth she wanted to slap herself, put her in front of her commandos, or some tide cursed red sand dealer and she was control personified. Yet around Shepard, she was just the same sputtering maiden.

 

And she didn't fail to miss the flicker of pain and sadness on the Spectre's face, but it faded equally as fast. Instead the human glanced up, and for the first time Liara caught sight of both eyes filled with crimson causing a soft gasp to escape the Asari.

 

Evalyn's voice was calm, but there was an edge to it that Liara was unfamiliar with, “I'm done looking back.” Her gaze seemed to grow distant as she continued to speak, “I mourned the woman that I thought my Mother was for years, and I. I've let my past dictate what I am in the present a long time.” The human shook her hand a little as if to banish the thought, quickly holding up her hand for the Asari to inspect, showcasing a series of cuts tracing the appendage that were already in the process of fading away, “I sliced this hand open breaking that mirror, and it's already nearly healed.”

 

The human let a small grin cross her features, “She was always worried that I would become some monster, and I became petrified by the thought of becoming less human, or becoming something else.” The grin twisted into a sardonic smile, “And now that I'm here,” she let out a short burst of laughter, “I feel liberated.”

 

The human pushed herself to her feet, talking as she moved towards Liara, the sound of glass punctuating every step, “I wonder is this is how the human's back in the 22nd felt, or if my circumstances are unique.” The blonde reached a hand to cup the Asari's cheek but stopped short of contract. A myriad of emotions played across the Spectre's features, “I'll, I'll understand if you want to leave once we arrive at Arcturus.”

 

Liara blinked a few times before realizing what the human was implying, and so answered the human's doubts in the best way she knew how. The maiden leaned in to the outstretched hand, feeling the cold of the metal seep into her skin, before she in turn let a hand drift up to cup the human's own face, “You're still my, Evalyn. You always will be.”

 

At that an almost sheepish smile made its way on to the human's lips, “Oh, and I also found out I kind of have a kid,” Liara's reply was cut off by a somewhat forceful kiss from the blonde, who upon pulling back was smirking rather contentedly, “Who is an A.I.”

 

Liara smashed her fists on to Evalyn's torso, “Do not tease me like that!” She was quiet for a moment before she added, “I thought you might have meant the nannites repaired the damage done when you were younger.”

 

A glimpse of sorrow flickered in Evalyn's eyes, and Liara regretted bringing up the memory. Losing one's Father would have been hard enough, but the young girl had found out that the eezo exposure had compromised not only her ability to accept cloned organs, but also robbed her of the ability to have children.

 

Liara often wondered if that was why the Spectre was so focused on Asari as partners.

 

Shepard's voice brought her back to the present though, “Her name is EDI, she's an amalgam of both Tess and the HANNIBAL system.” The blonde was quiet for a moment before adding, “I apparently made HANNIBAL, but I don't remember anything about it.” She paused before softly asking, “Is it possible that Atesi took, or somehow damaged my memories? It would explain the gaps that I have.”

 

Liara gave a small nod, “Yes, it is possible. But, it takes a great deal of skill, and training.” The Asari sighed, “If someone who possessed those skills attached themselves to you, it stands to reason that someone very powerful in the Republics wished you dead.”

 

The blonde nodded, before giving a slight shrug, “Maybe it's because I'm a Catalyst.” Liara frowned at the term, like she had heard it when she was a child, but it held not meaning in the here and now so she just questioned the statement, “Catalyst?”

 

“Honestly I had hoped you might know, things went a little sideways for a while after you stabbed me.”

 

Evalyn launched into a truncated version of what had occurred, and the moment she finished the Asari began to interrogate her, “Have you gone into this, other 'realm' again?”

 

The Spectre shook her head in the negative before adding, “But I think I can, I mean I can always feel something at the back of my mind. Like when you know you leave a door open behind you, or you forget your ident-card.” She gave a halfhearted chuckle, “I'm doing a really bad job explaining this. But look at the positives, I got it out of my head, and I feel great. Plus my biotics are red now, which I'm not going to lie, I kind of like.”

 

Liara though was less than amused by the human's claims, “We're going to see Chakwas, and you are going to let yourself be scanned, prodded, and poked, until we know what has happened.”

 

The Commander though seemed to realize that this was going to be a fight she would lose, and so she followed the Asari out the cabin, muttering that someone named Cora better not be in the med-bay.

 

S&S

 

Doctor Chakwas gave out a long sigh as she settled down at her desk, the scans had just finished compiling and the data was, well it unsettling if she was being honest.

 

She reached down and opened her bottom drawer, taking out both the brandy and the tumblers contained within. If there was ever a moment that she required a drink it was now.

 

Disregarding any type of decorum she tilted back the first glass, quickly followed by a second, before she began to record her findings into her medical log.

 

“Karin Chakwas, Normandy Chief Medical Officer, report on Commander Shepard following,” she paused as she tried to figure out what to call what had just occurred, “Following massive internal cybernetic augmentation.”

 

She tapped the time frame of the incident into her report, noting that she was unsure for how long the nannites had been in the Commander's system before she was brought on board.

 

“The Commander has had a massive internal reworking of several major systems, which all appear to have been caused by a type of microscopic machine that she created some time prior. Though I conjecture that she is not the originator of the technology, an assessment which both Chief Engineer Adams and our Quarian Engineer Tali'Zora nar Rayya agree with.”

 

“Sections of the Commander's left lung, as well as her Pulmonary artery, and a portion of her Aorta have been repaired by a type of synthetic tissue. This tissue appears to be operationally identical to the organic equivalent, though if preliminary tests are accurate the new tissue is substantially more durable.” She rubbed her temples as a sigh escaped her lips, “The Commander's nervous system has also been co-opted by a secondary cybernetic system, which among other things has taken over her bodies biotic control, resulting in the fields she creates bearing a new distinct crimson coloration.”

 

“Numerous cybernetics augmentations that the Commander had previously installed appear to have been integrated directly into her brain, this includes both her Graybox and the link to her primary omni-tool installed in her cybernetic limb. While surgical intervention appears to still be an option to remove these additions, it is unknown what effect this would have on the Commander.”

 

Glass clinked as she filled her tumbler a third time, sipping the brandy this time she mulled over what she had said so far, “The Commander's biotics appear to have been greatly strengthened thanks to yet another exposure to Element Zero, and given the rewiring of her nervous system she has exhibited abilities that do not match up to anything that we are aware of. Given the amount of eezo in her body I currently believe that she could match a Matron for strength, placing her in the top percentile for human biotic potential, but still eclipsed by outliers such as Jack.”

 

“The nannites themselves are still active to an extent, but most of them appear to be offline. While those that are active appear for now to be solely focused on maintaining her body. Stress or danger appears to cause them to activate, resulting in a red glow to appear underneath her skin. This glow always seems to be permanently present around the Commander's right eye, which has been augmented with an unknown type of implant.”

 

“Physically the Commander appears to have been improved thanks to the addition of synthetic muscle fibers and her new artificial nervous system. Resulting in a level of both strength and agility beyond the human norm, though it should be noted that she is surpassed in both categories by a number of candidates, including former N7 Kai Leng.”

 

“Mentally she has taken to the changes surprisingly well, though given that she refuses to respond to the moniker of Eva a massive psychological shift may have occurred. She also refuses to talk about what she experienced, which is worrying behavior for a person that is already under a substantial amount of strain.”

 

“My personal recommendation would be to request the Commander to see a specialist, but given how she was treated following Akuze it would be imperative for this to be optional, otherwise I'm not sure what her reaction may be.” Setting down the finished glass on the table the doctor frowned as she finished her report, “I need to believe that the Commander has been in any way compromised by what has happened to her, at least not in a way that she was not already compromised by the beacon.”

 

“Her first priority upon waking was to see to the safety of her marines, an act which is in line with her psychological profile. I do believe that she is trying to distance herself from her old life as a means of pushing forward, but I am not an expert in this field. I also am going on the record as stating that the statute from 2156 in regards to cybernetic augmentation should not be applied to her, as her synthetic components were for the most part involuntary thus not applicable.”

 

“Karin Chakwas, Normandy CMO, signing off.”

 

And as the Doctor shut off the recorder she let out a long suffering sigh, before she reached to fill her glass yet again.

 

S&S

 

“Well, isn't this just fucking great!” Tolliver's gravely voice came from the corner of the well appointed room, cigar smoke blowing out the window that he stood near. “First, we have to deal with the fact that our Spectre, isn't even our fucking Spectre. Then that Luna bullshit on Luna, and now not only did aforementioned Spectre break rank and go down there, but she took SA property from the site!” The man punctuated the remark by tossing the datapad in his hand across the room, the dull thud simply causing a sigh to escape from the Prime Minister seated at the head of the table.

 

Mark Sellix, the current Minister of Intelligence, spoke from his position to the left of Shastri, “Shepard's status as being over the red line is an easy fix at least, we can either repeal a law that honestly only affects those that by its very design ignores, or just give her a special pardon like we have with other military servicemen.”

 

Tolliver just gave a dark chuckle, “You really think that girl gives a damn about legislation? We gave Addison blanket permission to torture what that crazy bitch views as her child, and regardless of how fucked up that is she is going to hold us responsible.”

 

Shastri gave a small nod, “She will, but I believe she will be more tactful about this than you believe. The girl was raised to play this type of game, and I don't think she would risk her current mission over this series of events.”

 

Marissa Tomar, Shastri's oldest colleague and his Deputy Prime Minister shook her head, “What I am more worried about is our image during all of this.” She spared Shastri a quick glance, “We can't be seen to be playing favorites because she happens to be the grandchild of an old friend. The red line legislation has provisions that grant us great authority over citizens that go over the limit.”

 

Tolliver's laughter ended the point she was trying to make, “Do you even hear yourself? Shepard is a damn Spectre! You piss her off she's just going to put an accelerator round between your eyes.” He punctuated that with a thrust of his cigar.

 

Marissa undeterred went to continue, “As I was saying, we have a great deal of-”

 

“That is enough, Marissa.” Shastri's voice was soft, but firm, “We will not attempt to use legislation to control Evalyn, at best it would cause her to lose all remaining goodwill she has towards us, at worst she would likely renounce her citizenship and simply take the Normandy.” The darker skinned man glanced at Mark, “How long did your estimates say her resources could support a Normandy class ship?”

 

The man glanced down at the pad in his hand, “Roughly half a year, assuming she doesn't have additional revenue streams and that she acquired no new funds during that time. Technically she could probably run it indefinitely if she removed most of the non-essential crew positions.”

 

“Which thanks to that A.I she just took, she can.”

 

Shastri shot Tolliver a pointed glare before nodded his thanks to the younger man, “We cannot allow that to happen, Saren needs to be defeated by the SA. Which means if she comes in here demanding support, she will get it,” he held up his hands to quiet any discontent, “Within reason of course.”

 

Tolliver was the only one who responded, grimly chuckling to himself, “Well don't I feel like Santa Claus right now.”

 

S&S

 

“Well, pretty lady. Where are we headed?”

 

Miranda resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the obviously colonial accent accosting her. “As much as this pains me to say, Flotsam, a station out in the Traverse is our destination.”

 

A low whistle came from the cockpit of the small shuttle, “Bit of a trip, but not one that I'm unfamiliar with.”

 

This time she wasn't able to resist rolling her eyes, “Yes, I assumed as much.”

 

The brown haired man stuck his head in the hatchway separating the passenger section from the cockpit, his face reflecting an almost annoyed amusement, “And what is that supposed to imply?”

 

“That a man who owes a favor to Confressi is likely to be on the more fluid side of the law, and given the markings on this shuttle I would hazard a guess that you often transport individuals who wish to avoid more easily traced travel paths.” She shot him an almost pleasant smile as she finished, arching an eyebrow as a challenge for him to deny her statement.

 

The man surprisingly didn't argue, “We all have to make a living, gorgeous. But you did get one thing wrong.”

 

“Oh, and what is that?” She shifted in her seat, her hardsuit doing nothing to mute the uncompromising metal, in turn making her miss her cabin on the Nova all the more.

 

“I wasn't hired by any Confressi, my marker was called in by a Salarian who goes by the name Kullak.” At Miranda's narrowed eyes the man continued, “Kind of tall for a Salarian, horns sharpened like he's a devil, never shuts up.”

 

“Yes, I can see why you two get along.” The man just shrugged, “Look I'm just the driver here, and once we dock with my ship we never have to see each other again if you want to stay in your cabin. But if I were you I'd be asking myself why someone else called in a favor to help you.”

 

“I didn't need any help.” And so far that statement was accurate, it seemed that Evalyn had used her Spectre status to quash any attempts at hunting down Miranda. Any other time that likely would have had her Spectre status being reviewed, but it seemed unlikely given how few Spectres there were that could feasibly take on Saren.

 

It wasn't widely known but the Spectre agents were actually divided into broad categories, those who dealt with espionage, support, assaults on hardened targets, assassination, but there were some exemplary individuals who were called on to exercise their own best judgment of the situation at hand.

 

Saren, Nihlus, Vasir, and Evalyn had been the only four freelance agents as they were called in operation a year ago, at least to Miranda's knowledge. Technically Jondrum Bau was one as well, but the Salarian was entering his last decade and had taken up a mostly advisory position.

 

And with Nihlus dead, and Vasir both pregnant and grieving, Evalyn was in the rare position of actually being the only option for the Council to go to. Certainly a concentrated effort from the STG would eventually find the Turian, and the Republics could send out numerous commando teams to take down the rogue Spectre, but that would take far longer than sending a Spectre after him.

 

And it had the benefit of making it appear as though Saren was a one time problem that was fixed in house. As despite the Council's opinion on the matter, Spectres were extremely unpopular with just about every other race in Citadel space, and were actually only accepted in the Hierarchy because of the sheer amount of high profile Turian Spectres there had been over the years.

 

But she unfortunately had other things to worry about than Evalyn's job security, someone had leaked the location of their base, and she was going to find out who.

 

And then they were going to die.

 

Slowly.

 

Her anger induced interior monologue was interrupted as the pilot announced they were docking, causing the armored woman to bring herself to her feet. Following after the man as he led her to the shuttle's airlock.

 

As she stepped inside an unfamiliar voice spoke out, “That's our cargo? This job just keeps getting better, and better.”

 

She shot a disdainful glare at the burly looking human sitting nearby, a large Mattock rifle in his lap. “Oh good, they're breeding.” She shot a glance at the man who had piloted the shuttle, “I was promised a cabin?”

 

The man sighed, “Look I may as well give you the dime tour, unless you don't plan on eating on our way there.”

 

She frowned, “This trip shouldn't be more than a day or two, and I have adequate rations to sustain me for that long.”

 

“And there is the problem.” The man rubbed his neck with a slightly idiotic smile on his face, “You need to avoid being caught, which means we have to slip out of Local Cluster and not attract any undue attention. Which means we are doing a supply run out to a border colony first,” She opened her mouth to object but was stopped by a hand being held much to close to her own personal space, “Ships with Alliance business are the only ones being allowed to transit through the relay right now. So unless you want us to travel across the entirety of Alliance space using only FTL then by all means just tell me.”

 

His smirk only grew, “But that will take a lot long-”

 

“I know that, thank you.” She sighed and gestured for him to continue, “Very well, lead the way.”

 

The man nodded a satisfied smirk on his face, before gesturing at the large space they were currently in, “Cargo bay is pretty much the entire aft section of the ship,” pointing forward at the hatch they were approaching, “With non-crew living quarters just ahead of that.” He paused briefly singling out one room in particular, “That one is yours.”

 

He led them further into the ship, “Next you have the med bay, Beth is our doc, and our cook. She's okay, at both tasks.”

 

Miranda couldn't help but sigh at that, “A ringing endorsement there, Captain.”

 

The man glanced at her, “Hey, it's not like I'm swimming in credits here, Lady.” With that he proceeded forward hauling himself up a ladder that led them to the level above, “Crew cabin's are up here, along with the mess, helm, and engine room.”

 

A man walked by towards the aforementioned helm eliciting a wave from the Captain, “That was Ben, he's the pilot. His better half Curt keeps the ship running, you might see him later.” The man glanced around as if confused briefly, “I suppose that is it.”

 

Miranda though just shifted her weight on to one leg, “I've noticed you failed to mention who you are? Or why this vessel looks suspiciously like those used by the Colonials during the Systems war.”

 

The man gave her an almost mischievous grin, “It was on sale.”

 

S&S

 

Cora was perched on the edge of the mess table conversing with someone on her omni when Evalyn exited her cabin, having managed to get a fitful few hours of sleep. She had tried to get back into that strange cyber-realm, but so far no luck, maybe she would take Liara's advice and try those Asari meditative techniques next.

 

Cora's blue eyes flicked up to glare at her, but the blonde's teenage nemesis gave her a wave over, and as the Spectre approached she began to make out the conversation.

 

Cora's voice was calm, full of affection even, something that honestly surprised Evalyn who had never known the woman to ever be open with her feelings, “I know honey, but I'm sure that your Dad will read you your story once he's had a shower.”

 

An almost petulant voice sounded from the other end, “Why does Mr. Shastri make Daddy late, he needs to read me a bedtime story!”

 

Both Cora and Evalyn smirked at the comment, though a male voice soon came through the speaker, “That is the Right Honorable Shastri, honey, and you need to brush your teeth first before you get your story.” Childish grumbling came from the speaker before the man's voice came through again, “Make sure you let her know about the meeting. Love you, Cora.”

 

The younger voice chimed in immediately, “Love you, Mother!” Cora just gave a soft smile, “I love both of you as well.”

 

And then as if nothing had happened her face became stone as she directed her attention to Evalyn, “We need to talk.”

 

Evalyn gave a hum of agreement as she sat down nex to Cora, “Ya, like when did you have a kid?” Cora for her part just rolled her eyes, “Please like you would have noticed, anyway she's Mark's child, my fiance.”

 

The blonde gave a small shrug, “I keep track of all the survivors from our class, Khalisah, Kent, Beth, and you are the only ones left.” They were both silent for a few minutes before the blonde almost tentatively broke the silence, “She called you Mother, and that doesn't happen overnight.” And she didn't fail to notice the slight softening in the other woman's face.

 

“Mark's wife was an L2, and she was not one of the lucky one's like your Lieutenant. She died when Madison was four. She used to call Valerie Mama, and I didn't want anyone to think I was trying to just replace the woman, so Mark and I agreed on Mother when we realized it was serious.”

 

Evalyn shot her a smirk, “I figured it was because the child of Cora Addison would need to be the exemplar of proper parenting.”

 

The red hand glared at her through her bangs, “You know, I'm starting to rethink passing along Mark's message.”

 

Which got the Spectre's attention, “Mark?”

 

“Mark Sellix, the Minister of Intelligence, he was just in a meeting where your name came up several times.”

 

The blonde sighed, rubbing the left side of her face with her hand, “And what did the brain trust decide upon?”

 

“Well, your little, upgrade has them in quite a tizzy. Shastri is officially going with a policy of appeasement, so congratulations you could probably ask for a fleet as long as you don't shoot one of them.” The red haired woman paused briefly before adding, “The Deputy PM is pushing for hitting you with red line legislation, Mark did some subtle digging. Turns out that a lot of her funds last election came from Mars Gene, guess they are worried about their bottom line if the legislation is repealed.”

 

The blonde nodded, that made sense from the last STG report she had seen on human campaign spending, “And what does your fiance get out of this?”

 

The Lieutenant-Commander was quiet for a few moments before responding to the question, “I think he hopes that you will help me out.” The woman blew an exasperated breath at a troublesome bang, “This incident is going to tank my career, and I think he hopes that you might help me in exchange for him helping you.”

 

And Evalyn couldn't help but throw back her head and laugh, and noticing the angry glare being shot at her she tried to apologize, “I'm sorry, really. But, really, I already predicted that this was Shastri how would react, so really your fiance isn't a massive help to me.” The blonde shot her companion a small shrug, “Plus I was just going to conscript you anyway, well that or beat the shit out of you, leaning more towards the first option right now.”

 

“Why would you want me on your ship?” The blonde just gave another non-committal shrug, “Because you were once upon a time one of the most promising up and coming tacticians in the SA, and because I have no idea how to run a ship like this.” Noticing the woman's incredulous expression the Spectre explained, “I can run a ground op, I can pilot a fighter in an above average manner, but it's been over five years since Akuze, and that was the last time I was in charge of more than a strike team.”

 

Evalyn pushed herself off her seat, pivoting so that she was facing the other human, “You will handle day to day operations as my XO, Pressley is great, so rely on him if you have to. I will handle overall tactical choices, but you will be in charge of ship to ship combat and have command when I am off ship.” The blonde punctuated her offer with a thrust of her right hand to seal the deal.

 

Cora stood but didn't take the offered metal appendage yet, “Why me? From what I have heard Pressley stood up for you, this seems a poor reward for such loyalty.”

 

Evalyn honestly cocked her head confused, “I'm not punishing him, the man is our chief navigator though and on top of that he is running the entire ship. So I could either get a new chief navigator or a new XO, and guess which option is the path of least resistance?”

 

Cora sighed as she realized where the Commander was going with this, grimacing as she took the proffered hand, “Very well, Commander.”

 

Evalyn would be lying if she didn't enjoy the woman's discomfort, it might be petty but it was at least a small degree of payback for EDI.

 

Her assessment of Pressley wasn't incorrect, but the man was career military and his actions could ruin his career. Making Cora her XO was an attempt on her part at protecting the crew by adding an additional buffer zone between her and them. Plus it had the unexpected benefit of giving her an alternate way to access the Alliance's underwhelming intelligence network.

 

“We'll be arriving at Arcturus in another hour or so, I suggest you take the time to acclimate yourself with the ship.” The blonde shot her old 'friend' a smirk as she walked away, heading up the stairs to tell Charles the decision she had just made. She doubted the man would take it well given how he had just went to bat for her, but she also knew that he would appreciate the gesture.

 

As she stepped into the CIC the man quickly spotted her, “Commander, I'd like to thank you for getting our people out of there.” She gave him a small nod, “There isn't any need to thank me, Pressley, I wasn't about to leave my men behind to die.”

 

He inclined his head, but he caught on to her tone, “I take it you are here for a reason, Commander.”

 

“Yes, I'm going to have Commander Addison take over as acting XO until the Admiralty officially ratifies her position.” Pressley went to object but she held up her hand, “I understand that you risked your career when you informed me about Luna, and I don't want to be responsible for that. Cora will act as a buffer between myself and the rest of the SA, and honestly I don't care overmuch what happens to her career when all is said and done.”

 

The man was silent for several moments before he gave a small nod, “I understand, Commander. It has been a privileged serving as your XO, even if it was for a short time.”

 

“The privileged was mine, Charles. Though don't think that I'm getting rid of you yet.” She finished her sentence with a smirk as she moved towards the bridge to accost Joker.

 

S&S

 

Across human space the broadcast beamed out, or at least to anyone currently tuned in to Alliance News Net.

 

“Breaking story out of Arcturus, the SSV Normandy which is currently serving as Spectre Evalyn Shepard's personal ship has just docked.” The anchor paused briefly, either miming receiving news or he was legitimately being updated, “We are now getting confirmation from sources within the Government that the Prime Minister has scheduled time for himself and several Ministers to meet with Evalyn Shepard, humanities first Spectre.”

 

“And now we go live to the Arcturus docks with Sara Cousteau.”

 

A woman in her mid-thirties wearing an dark blue Asari dress took over the screen, her blonde hair was styled in a short in a pixie cut, “Thank you Trevor, as many of you are aware Evalyn Shepard hasn't officially been on Arcturus since she was infamously discharged following several months of erratic behavior following the Akuze incident. Many were shocked by the ruling, most of all the woman herself who quickly disappeared from public view until her death a little under a year later.”

 

She gestured behind her where the Normandy could be seen sitting in her berth, “It must seem like vindication for her to be now in charge of the Alliance's most advanced frigate, though bittersweet as rumor has it that her command came at the expense of longtime family friend Captain David Anderson.”

 

Trevor's voice emerged from the broadcast, though the picture remained fixed on the Normandy, “There have been some rumors recently that Commander Shepard may be over the so called, red line. If she was what impact would that have on her hunt for Saren.”

 

The woman frowned briefly but quickly covered it up as she began to speak, “Honestly it is unknown if there would be any impact. Legally speaking Evalyn Shepard is still dead, and her status as a citizen of the SA is null and void until that is rectified. But even if that was changed she is a Spectre, a position whose very description places her above any form of jurisdiction aside for direct orders from the Council.”

 

“So what you are saying is that she, regardless of how badly she bends a law designed to protect humanity from itself, she is immune from any prosecution.”

 

This time Sara didn't even bother to hide her reaction, “There is a great deal of pressure for the red line legislation to be reexamined in a more modern context. The document itself is archaic, coming from a time when cybernetic augmentation required literal replacement of healthy portions of the body.” The woman paused before adding, “It should be noted that due to the current phrasing of the legislation all of our marines upon receiving their standard implant package sit at 13%, due to how it weighs implants in proximity to the bra-”

 

The feed suddenly shifted back to the news desk, “I'm sorry to cut you off, Sara. But it seems that the Prime Minister and Humanities First Spectre are going to issue a joint statement at the steps of Parliament. Henry Banks is our reporter in the field.”

 

“Thank you, Trevor.” A man with jet black hair in a modern slim fit suit appeared to take over Sara's position, “Behind me as you can see the Prime Minister, along with several of his cabinet are awaiting the arrival of Evalyn Shepard. Curiously, Admiral Shepard himself is not present, despite his office confirming that he is indeed on Arcturus overseeing production at foundry two of Arcturus' shipyards today.”

 

He stepped back from the center of the frame, allowing a better shot of the collected gaggle of politicians, “As you can see the Minister of Defense Nathan Tolliver, as well as the Minister of Intelligence Mark Sellix is here, surprisingly the deputy PM is not present, though seemingly in her place is Arjen Baksi the Minister of Health. This also marks the first time that Sellix and Baksi have been seen together in public since their very vocal disagreement in parliament over the decision to not increase funding for L2's.”

 

Several people jostled by him nearly knocking him off his feet, “I know you can't hear them thanks to the noise filters, but the crowd that has gathered here is quite loud for such an event. Some people are here to cheer on our first Spectre, while others are here to denounce her as just further proof that the Alliance is becoming a two tiered system. Others are just here to express their distaste at recent moves by the Government, including the fact that the Alliance is rumored to have entered into another joint project with the Hierarchy, a move seen by many as a desperate attempt to better position us for a Council seat.”

 

A black SA skycar landed on the edge of the platform, as the form of Evalyn Shepard slid out, clad in the same suit she had worn when she had appeared in front of the Council. She crossed the gap between her and the Prime Minister quickly, extending her gloved but still artificial hand to him with a smile.

 

The man hesitated briefly, but he quickly moved forward and took the proffered hand. They two spoke briefly before they disengaged from one another, and the older man gestured warmly for her to ascend to the podium that was set up at the edge of the stairs leading down to the gathered crowd.

 

As Evalyn ascended the cameras, and by extension the crowds, caught sight of her recent augmentations for the first time. And silence reigned over the crowd as she rested her hands on the edge of the ancient wooden icon. Her projected voice was clinical, almost detached, but there was a hint of warmth to it, “Hello.”

 

The oddness of her statement actually earned a few chuckles from the crowd, but everyone went quiet once again as she resumed speaking, her voice filling with emotion as she pressed on, “I, I can't honestly describe how it feels to be able to walk these halls again, to be able to stand in front of all of you without being hidden away beneath layers of deceit. I had honestly been prepared to spend my entire life under another identity, because it was the only option I had left in order to what I was born to do.”

 

She gave a little chuckle at that, “My Grandfather, who is likely going to be pissed that he wasn't here for this. Always used to say that as a Shepard, you aren't just a soldier, your an ideal, duty made flesh. My Father would say much the same thing, but with more cursing.”

 

Sporadic laughter emerged from the crowd at that, and she turned giving a small nod to the Prime Minister, “I wanted to express my thanks to the Prime Minister for allowing me to address you all today. But unfortunately there are pressing matters to attend to so I shouldn't take any more of your time.”

 

As she stepped back from the podium a press aide ran up, “After his meeting with Spectre Shepard the Prime Minister will be issuing a statement as well as answering questions from his press pool.”

 

The camera refocused on Banks, “We're getting confirmation now that the Prime Minister's address will be issued at 15:00 GMT, so assuming this meeting ends at the usual time he will be in conference with Spectre Shepard for a little under two hours.”

 

Trevor took over the lion's share of the screen, “And on that subject we have today several experts on defense spending here today, the subject is how much support can the Alliance give our first Spectre, and how much should we?”

 

S&S

 

After Shepard had departed the rest of the crew was left to their own devices, Ashley and most of the marines had quickly disembarked to send messages to family, or get drunk, whichever came first. T'Soni had simply stated there there were people waiting for her and she had evaded any attempts by the acting XO to confine her to the ship.

 

Jack though had stayed firmly rooted in her room, glaring at the sole message that was in her Alliance account that Kaidan had setup for her.

 

She wasn't sure how long that she was fixated on the screen for, but a light rapping on the door jarred her from her stupor. When she didn't immediately answer Kaidan's voice carried through the metal barrier, “Jack, are you in there? I have someone from Administrations that says you have visitors.”

 

Jack bit back a curse as she stomped over to the door, and before Kaidan could react she had hauled him inside the small room.

 

“Jack? What's going on?” But instead of answering she just angrily pointed at the message still on her screen, Kaidan raised an eyebrow at her but he seemed to realize that playing along was probably a smart survival tactic and so he leaned down to read the message on the small terminal.

 

After what she felt was a reasonable amount of time had passed Jack exploded, “They fucking found them! How the hell am I supposed to deal with this shit!”

 

She was practically vibrating on the spot as she pulled her arms tightly across her chest, “When Shepard told me that I had some family out there I figured I'd have time, but they are fucking here! Today!”

 

Kaidan tried to place a hand on her shoulder but she angrily shook it off before turning her gaze at him, “Just go and tell whoever the hell it is out there that he has the wrong person, tell them to go fucking home.”

 

The older biotic let her vent before calmly interjecting, “What if, instead of that. I just explain to them that you can't handle seeing them right now.” The calmness in his tone nearly set her off again but the smaller human nodded a few times, “Ya, ya, that, that might work.”

 

The Lieutenant flashed her a sympathetic smile before stepping out into the medbay, she could hear words being exchanged and after a few minutes the door reopened revealing Kaidan.

 

“I've got their location, do you want to at least come with me? You don't have to go into the room, just it might be good to see that they actually came.”

 

Every instinct in her told her not to go, but she found herself nodding slightly, “Alright.”

 

The pair made their way out of the ship and into Arcturus proper, Jack's unique look drew a lot of looks, which in turn earned a few snarls for those gawking at the young woman.

 

“Never thought you would care about someone starring.”

 

The woman's eyes flashed at him for a moment before she seemed to deflate a little, before quietly admitting, “I don't want them to look at me like that.”

 

Kaidan gave a small nod of understanding, realizing the 'them' she was referring to wasn't the people they were passing by, “After the incident out on Jump Zero my biggest worry wasn't about my future, or how I was going to deal with the guilt. It was how my family was going to react.” He paused briefly, pain obviously flashing across his features, “They sent me there because it was easier than dealing with the whole biotic child issue, and the Alliance was pretty forward about informing them about why the program was shut down.”

 

He let out a deep sigh, “Dad just told me that I did what I thought was the right thing, that was it. Nothing about how they shouldn't have put kids in that situation, just that. We still don't speak much.” He shook his head, “I'm doing this wrong.”

 

He flashed her a small smile, “What I meant is that your family might react differently, and if they don't,” He gave a small shrug, “Well it isn't the end of the world, you've still got the Normandy backing you up.”

 

Jack couldn't help but let a small grin slip across her features, “Suppose I do.”

 

S&S

 

“That was quite the speech you just gave there, young lady.” The Spectre's crimson eyes flicked to Tolliver's form seated already seated at the expansive mahogany table.

 

Flashing him her most insincere smile she replied smoothly, “Minister, I know that you've seen my file of what has occurred to my body. So unless you want me to see just how far I can shove your body through that wall, I'd start referring to me as either Commander or Spectre.” She leaned in over the desk, her right eye slightly glowing, “Understood?”

 

The man to his credit just smirked, raising the glass sitting next to his hand to his lips, “Crystal.”

 

She slid herself smoothly back into her chair a few seats down from Shastri, while the rest of the ministers all sat on the side of the table across from her, the Minister of health taking the seat that put the most distance between himself and the Spectre.”

 

The Spectre had removed the gloves from her hands, and was drumming her metal digits on the table, “Did you guys want to start, or should I?” Baksi visibly jumped as she broke the uneasy silence, causing a predatory smirk to cross her lips, “I don't bite, Minister.”

 

When no one at the table spoke up the blonde huffed in her seat, “Alright, guess I'll get this going.” The small projector built into the table hummed to life as she projected an image of the Normandy from it, “Now we all know that my ship needs to be brought up to spec.” Before anyone could object she held up her hands for silence, “She's a prototype frigate that you jointly made with the Turians, I don't think you could have thought of something more likely to have its funding slashed if you tried.”

 

Several section of the image lit up, “At the very least her plating needs to be brought up to Asari standards, I don't care how much that costs,” she paused briefly before continuing, “Some form of living accommodations for the non-humans on board, Tali and Wrex are both content but Garrus could use a sleeper pod installed. And obviously I'd love to have some actual ordinance this time, I understand that everything was a bit rushed before but a handful of missiles would have been nice.”

 

Shastri glanced at Tolliver who gave a small nod, before the man in the corner directed his attention to the Spectre, “Alright, easy enough, if a bit expensive.” He drawled out the last word, eliciting only a shrug from the Commander.

 

“I'm also going to be bringing in some specialists, mercenaries like Wrex who can handle these situations.”

 

The Prime Minister sent her a tired glance, “Commander, we'd prefer it if you didn't bring on any more non-Alliance personnel. The technologies on board are-”

 

He was cut off by the laugh that escaped the blonde, who after a few moments shot him an unkind smile, “Prime Minister, if you actually believe anything on that ship isn't already cataloged and understood by both the STG and the Shadow Broker you are woefully naive. But they will be confined to the cargo bay and the crew deck is it makes you feel better.”

 

“How many of these mercenaries are you planning on bringing on board?” Shepard glanced at Mark, the first time she had actually paid attention to Addison's fiance, he was handsome in a classical sense if a bit too clean cut.

 

Internally she debated on the number, before settling on, “Three, maybe four. In addition to two Asari commando's that should already be on Arcturus.”

 

“One.” The room turned collectively to regard Tolliver, “One, and I'll get you two N6's. They can consider this their combat trial.” The man's face was briefly illuminated as he struck a match to light the cigar in his hand, “And you can keep the Asari.”

 

The Commander puzzled on the offer before nodding, “Alright, but I get to pick the N6's, and I want to see them in action first. My estimates put us at two weeks in dry dock for these retrofits so I'm going to pick five, any five that I want, and take them to Pinnacle to put them through their paces. End of the two weeks, I'll take the two I choose.”

 

Tolliver took another sip from his glass before giving a small incline of his head, causing the Prime Minister to let out a relieved sigh, “I'm glad that we were able to come to an agreement.”

 

He made a small gesture over a nearby datapad causing it to flash, and as the other datapads in the room followed suit the Ministers made their way out of the room.

 

The Spectre had pulled on her gloves and began to stand when Shastri gestured for her to stay, “I just have a few things to talk to you about in private my, dear.” Leaving only the Spectre, the Prime Minister, and his bodyguard.

 

The elderly statesman turned to address the man hovering in the corner, “You can wait outside Jones, I daresay that if our good Spectre here wished me harm there is little you could do to stop her.” The man made to argue but wilted under the imperious gaze of his charge, only giving a brief nod as he slipped out of the nearby concealed door.

 

Once the door clicked shut the man turned his gaze on to the Spectre, “I need to know that the Council has not been made aware of any of the projects you were working on before your, departure.”

 

A blonde eyebrow raised at the statement, but aside from the audible creak of the woman's gloves tightening there was no outward sign of her anger. After a few moments passed the Spectre spoke, “Well they obviously know about the HANNIBAL system but that was on your end, not mine. I believe the Asari are also aware of our, less than truthful account how much of the Mars cache we have disclosed.”

 

She gave a small shrug, “Aside from that, well I guess you will just have to take my word that I haven't jumped ship.”

 

A tired sigh emerged from the older man, “So you are certain that they have no knowledge of either the Sentinel, or Ragnarok programs?” The blonde was surprised by the specificity of his inquiry, but just shook her head.

 

“Am I certain? No I'm not, all that I can be certain of is that I haven't told them. That is the long and short of it.”

 

The Prime Minister gave a small, but thankful, nod of his head, “Well then, that is at least a small amount of relief you have given me.” The man pushed his chair back as he rose to stand, “Thank you, Spectre.”

 

The blonde nodded and began to make her way out of the room, only to be halted by the man's voice, “Oh, one last thing, Commander. Your Grandfather wished for you to meet him down at foundry two when you had a moment.”

 

The blonde flashed him a manufactured smile as the man moved to pour himself a drink, and as the false smile transformed into a real smirk she called across the room, “Oh, one last thing, Shastri. I'm conscripting Cora Addison.”

 

S&S

 

Wrex growled as he moved to an isolated location, the human's had given him mostly free reign of the station but he didn't want one of the pyjak's listening in on this conversation.

 

Finally he found a nice spot away from foot traffic, and after a quick sweep of a program Evalyn had given him a while ago he was satisfied that it wasn't bugged.

 

Jabbing a stubby finger to retrace the connection he had ended earlier the Krogan frowned as Aleena, now known as Aria, flickered on to screen.

 

“Wrex, how nice to see you.” The reptile for his part just narrowed his eyes, “What do you want Aria?”

 

He could hear the chair she leaned back in creak meaning that it was either made of wood or bone, and honestly knowing her he couldn't be sure which it was, he shook his head at the fact that she'd go for something that ostentatious. Wrex knew that most of it was an act to make people think she was vain, but eventually even the strongest willed will lose themselves to the act.

 

She flashed him a look of mock hurt, “What, not Aleena? Come now, Wrex, no warm feelings for your old lover?”

 

He sneered, “Emphasis on the old part.”

 

“Charming, as always.” The Asari's eyes glinted with a predatory amusement he had associated with Aleena, but that quickly faded back into the mask of the queen. “But I didn't contact you just to banter with you, I have a task for you.”

 

Wrex grunted in response, “I don't take orders from you.”

 

And as he shifted to cut the call short a cruel smile formed on the Queen's lips, “Not even for your own child?”

 

The Mercenary halted, and Aria let out a short bark of a laugh, and why not. They both knew she had won.

 

Wrex's crimson gaze burned into the Asari, “Details.”

 

Aria shifted back in her chair, a pleased smirk on her face as she let him stew for a few moments before she spoke, “Her name is Rila, and the fool girl ended up getting into trouble with the Alliance on their charming little homeworld.” The queen shifted her gaze to look at something offscreen, “They sent the Butcher after her, so I don't know if she is alive or dead,” she slowly turned her head back to regard the Krogan, “You will find out for me what happened to her, won't you?”

 

“And why not just call in your marker with Shepard. I know that she owes you a favor.” At that the Queen threw her head back and let out a full on gale of laughter, “And why would I use up a favor with a Spectre, when I know that you will do it for free?”

 

The old battlemaster sighed, and gave a weary nod as he shut off the link.

 

S&S

 

Jack's hands began to tremor when they were halfway to their destination, by the time they were nearly there her whole body was trembling as she fought against the growing nausea in her stomach. Spotting a nearby bench she threw herself down on it, fighting to keep her breathing even in the hope that she didn't vomit on the floor in front of her.

 

She clenched her eyes tightly shut, but she could hear the boyscout shift down close to her, “Hey, you don't have to do this. I can just go with the original plan, just give them an excuse. Would you like me to do that?” When she remained unresponsive the Lieutenant asked again, “Jack, I just need you to tell me what you want me to do, doesn't matter how you tell me.”

 

She sucked in a particularly harsh breath of air before she nodded, and as she exhaled just as violently she managed to force out a few words as well, “I can't, I, I just can't.”

 

“It's alright, Jack. Just stay there, I'll be right back.” She wordlessly nodded a few times, her eyes still closed tightly as she listened for his footsteps to fade away she let the tears she had been holding back fall silently.

 

Some badass she was, weeping like one of the losers back in Pragia. The new kids had always been the worst, you didn't feel as bad when you were fighting someone just as fucked up as you, but when the kid you were pummeling half to death kept yelling for their Mommy something in you broke too.

 

She ground the heels of her hands into her eyes trying to stymie the tears, but that was quickly halted when she felt a shift on the bench next to her.

 

The soundless intrusion set off all the instincts that had been drilled into her by Cerberus, and she warred with her own reflexes for several moments before she allowed herself to open her eyes and glance at whomever had managed to sneak up on her.

 

And as her eyes took in the girl seated next to her she sucked in a breath involuntarily.

 

The girl didn't even particularly look like her, but their eyes were identical, as would be the color of their hair had Jack not kept her old cultist style.

 

The girl seeing that she had the attention of the older woman smiled at her, “Are you Jennifer? Mom told me that we were coming to see my older Sister, and that her name was Jennifer.”

 

The absurdity of the situation had Jack blinking for a few times before she gave a kind of vague nod, “I, I guess, but my name is Jack, kid.”

 

The girl processed the information like only the particularly young can, without bias. “Well, Jack is cool too, mine's Emma.” After a solitary beat had passed the girl shifted her gaze to one of the biotic's arms, “You have a lot of tattoos, did they hurt?”

 

“Uh, kind of.” The older woman was floundering, but a response from the smaller human was quickly cut off by the panicked voice of another woman.

 

“Emma! Where are you!?”

 

The girl hopped off the bench waving towards her Mother, “Over here, Mom. Look who I found!”

 

Jack wanted nothing more than to sink into the ground at that moment, but instead she found herself being dragged by the excited child to her feet. She shuffled slowly to face the woman who was standing stock still, her face gripped in shock as Jack's eyes settled on to the mirrored orbs in the older woman.

 

“Jennifer?”

 

The biotic could only give the faintest of nods to confirm the statement, before finding herself enveloped by the older woman, who in between sobs was attempting to speak, “I knew you weren't dead, I just knew it.”

 

Jack found herself unable to keep her own tears back as they trailed down her cheeks, but her eyes traced up to see Kaidan standing on the edge of the scene, a big enough smile on his face that she had to assume he had something to do with Emma slipping away.

 

And she had never been so thankful, or angry, for someone not doing what she wanted in her life.

 

Mostly thankful.

 

S&S

 

Shepard sighed as she entered her Grandfather's domain, the steady thrum of massive robotic assemblers rumbled up from the depths of the complex.

 

But as the blonde stepped inside the doorway the built in scanners began to ping, the security guard who was obviously paying no attention spoke without even looking up, “Ma'am, do you have any metal on your person?”

 

And Evalyn broke down, laughter spilling from her lips at the sheer absurdity of the statement being leveled at her. The laughter doubling in intensity as the guard glanced up at the commotion, his eyes instantly widening as he attempted to both stammer out an apology and flee.

 

The guard's frantic route had him bowl over a darker skinned woman who was engrossed in a datapad, and seeing as how the idiot who had accosted her wasn't coming back to help the injured party the Spectre stepped forward still giggling slightly from the events that had just occurred.

 

“I'm sorry about that, I think he was trying to get away from me.” She reached forward with her gloved right hand, which the woman went to grab before she realized who it was who was offering the assistance, “Oh, you're Evalyn!”

 

The younger woman quickly reached forward, surprising the Spectre with the lack of reluctance she showed with dealing with her cybernetic appendage. The woman knelt down quickly grabbing her materials that had gone flying before popping back up, extending her own right hand with a smile playing on her lips, “Samantha Traynor, though you can call me Sam.”

 

Evalyn took the hand, “Shepard,” subtly correcting the woman's personal tone with her.

 

Sam glanced bashfully at the correction, “Of course, Shepard. Guess we're lucky that you and the Admiral are different ranks aren't we?” And like it hadn't happened the smile had quickly reappeared on the woman's face.

 

The mention of her Grandfather had her glancing around, “Speaking of, where is the Old Man?”

 

“He's busy overseeing some special project of his, but he wanted me to bring you to him as soon as you arrived. I was obviously a little late, I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it.”

 

Evalyn couldn't help but agree with a small nod, unsuccessfully fighting the small smile on her lips at how the woman lit up at her acquiescence.

 

Sam gestured with her free arm for her to follow, and the pair began to move further into the foundry.

 

“I can tell you studied in London, but there is a hint of an accent that isn't Earthborn. I'm thinking Wildcat, or at the very least Outer Colonial.” Sam shot her a look that was probably as clinical as her own, “You must have a very good ear, Commander, and to answer your question I'm from Horizon.”

 

Evalyn couldn't help but smirk at that, “Gray Box, as long as I have heard it before I can go back and analyze it, but I always did have an ear for that sort of thing.” They continued on for a few more meters before she pressed further, “Not many from the Wildcat's join the service, if you don't mind me asking why did you join up?”

 

The other woman gave a small shrug of her shoulders, “You know how it is, if you aren't an SA citizen you can't go to the best schools. Plus I needed the service to pay for my schooling, unfortunately.” She had mumbled that last part more to herself, but the Commander's ears had picked it up.

 

“Not pleased with being in the Service?” Sam stiffened but relaxed when she saw the lack of judgment in the Spectre's eyes, the blonde chose her next words carefully, “Trust me when I say that I can understand not wanting to be here.” She trailed off before continuing, “It took me nearly three years to get used to not being here, and now I'm back here dealing with even more bullshit than before.”

 

A shy nod was Sam's immediate response, “It's not that I don't appreciate the opportunity, but.” She trailed off before finding her voice again, “I just hoped that by now I would have something to show for it. I have a bloody PHD in Quantum Communications and I'm stuck being a blasted secretary half the time.”

 

Shepard sighed, while humanity had taken great strides it still often lagged behind when it came to issues of gender equality. Certainly two of the Admiralty were female, but they had clawed their way to that position, and it was notable how less than a quarter of the Rear Admirals were women.

 

But she couldn't exactly do shit about that, and she didn't want to overstep and talk to her Grandfather about this.

 

“Not many have the interest or drive to study quantum entanglement, plus well it is ridiculously expensive.” Sam gave a hum of interest, “And what would you know about it?”

 

Evalyn gave her a small smirk while waving her arm in front of her, “Built in quantum beacon, it can't communicate but when the other half is powered up I can track them down regardless of distance.”

 

Sam's eyes were a pair of saucers as she processed what the Spectre had said, “The cost alone would have been!”

 

“Astronomical, I know.”

 

But their conversation was abruptly stopped as a voice called out from ahead of them, “Glad to see you finally decided to show up.” Her Grandfather approached, nodding briefly to the other woman, “Thank you, Traynor, I'll take her from here.”

 

Samantha's face flashed with disappointment, “Oh,” before catching the look on the Admiral's face, “I mean, aye, sir.” She turned her head to glance at the blonde next to her, “Well it was nice to run into you, I mean, it was nice to meet you, Spectre.” The flustered woman took off before Evalyn could reply, muttering to herself about making a fool of herself before she slipped out of Evalyn's range of hearing.

 

As the younger Shepard turned to look at her Grandfather she noticed a raised eyebrow, “What?” And when he only smirked she glowered at him, “What? You have something to say, say it.”

 

“You, and the Lieutenant seem to have hit it off.”

 

She simply shrugged in response, “She's nice enough, seems a bit annoyed at being relegated to being a secretary. Which now that I think about it doesn't sound like you at all.”

 

He gestured for her to follow him, “She was top of her class, and is one of the most intelligent people I've had the privileged of meeting, she's also interested in the fairer sex.”

 

His last statement was so nonchalant that it took several moments for her to register it, “Are you trying to set me up!”

 

“Is it working?”

 

“No!” He glanced at her with an expression that just screamed, 'why not.' Resulting in her practically shouting in the middle of the hallway, “I'm seeing Liara! The Asari currently helping me to track down her psychopathic Mother, I'd appreciate it if you didn't try and hook me up with random women.” She didn't add the fact that she was the slightest bit tempted.

 

“She's not random.” But the Admiral proceeded to give a small nod of his head in recognition of her position, but his face was morose as always, “I just want you to be happy.”

 

“I am.”

 

But any further statement on her part was cut off by the look in his eyes, “I don't mean right now, I mean for the rest of your days too. Are you going to get that with an Asari who is so young in her life cycle she might not even remember you in two hundred years? Will you be happy never seeing you Daughter grow up, or hell even be able to point out the parts of her that she gets from you?”

 

An awkward silence descended on the pair before Harrison began to walk again, “I didn't plan on getting into this, again.” He waved his hand in front of a secured door, the locks retracting with several loud thumps, “I've got a new toy for you to play with.”

 

As the door opened the lights began to flick on in the hanger they entered, starting from the closest set and lighting up in sequence until the whole bay was lit.

 

“Is that?”

 

He gave her a satisfied smirk, “Not quite, but she's the same model as your Mother's old ship. We took out the passenger compartment so that we could fit in a stronger core.” As they descended down a metal flight of stairs to reach the ground level he continued to speak, “She's not complete yet, I'm looking at getting some better plating for it but she'll be done by the time the Normandy is ready to fly.”

 

Evalyn let her fingers trail across the ship, her Mother had given her one just like this when she had found out that she was going to be a Spectre.

 

But the thought of Hannah brought out a choked sob, and as she glanced at her Grandfather she could tell that he understood, likely having been informed by one of her crew. He placed a hand on her shoulder, “I understand, almost didn't show this to you because I thought it might be too painful.”

 

She shook her head, “It's great, really. Just hit me again, that she's really gone.”

 

“I won't pretend that I liked the woman, but she always tried to put you first. And well, that's something at least.”

 

He fished inside of a pocket on his uniform, pulling out a pair of cigars.

 

“Here.” She took the proffered item with a look of confusion, “I don't smoke.”

 

But he just shot her a look that quieted her, “Neither did your Father, but he still smoked one when you were born.” He flipped the old mechanical lighter in his hand causing a flame to spring to life, “And seeing as how you are treating that A.I you made like a kid, I figured it was fitting to keep the tradition going.”

 

He went to offer her the lighter but found that she had already lit it using a miniature incinerate that was projected from her thumb, and as she noticed the look of utter disgust on his face she just questioned, “What?!”

 

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credits Song: The Wolf by Phildel
> 
> AN: Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays


	16. The breath before the plunge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m working up a writing schedule at this time to make sure I get these chapters out a little more regularly. I don’t have the free time that I did when I pumping them out a weekly, nor am I as prolific a writer as some, but hopefully I’ll have one every week and a half or so.

S&S

                The structure was quiet, not a surprising fact given that it was entirely unoccupied but her memories of the place made it seem abnormal.

                Shepard made her way up the aisle footsteps echoing around her, while her synthetic arm played along the upper edges of each of the pews that she passed. Her footsteps came to a halt as she reached the front of the church, she internally debated for several moments if she should sit down but she decided against that, at least not yet.

Instead she just angled her head up, glancing around the room’s upper heights and the windows that contained depictions of the events of the ‘Good’ book, powerful lights behind them mimicking natural light blazing though the coloured glass. She held back the scoff that nearly erupted from her throat, and instead focused her mind on what she was here for.

Finally, with a sigh she made her way slowly to the seat she had always occupied when her Father had taken her here, and with a great deal of trepidation she sat down on the unyielding wood.

She knew some who claimed that they could feel the, presence she supposed was the word, of their loved ones in a place such as this. Evalyn felt no such sensation, but this was not about the dead, she had done her grieving a long time ago.

This was about her.

And so with a shaky breath she began to speak, her fingers trembling unconsciously as she did so, “Dad.” She blinked and shook her head, in an effort to ignore just how childish this all was, “I’m still alive, I mean you obviously knew that but, whatever.” She allowed her words to trail off, letting the silence permeate her before she began to speak again, “I’m going after Saren, the Spectre who killed you, assassinated you would be more accurate I guess. He’s dangerous, and I know that is what I should be focusing on but I just can’t.”

She glared at the podium that sat towards the rear of the room, remembering those sermons that had been essentially propaganda for an increasing isolationist SA from her younger years. “All I can think about is this place, about you, and about Mom. And the only thing that runs through my mind is how despite all the lies, and the shit that the two of you did, I am the one who feels like she went too far.”

                She raised her left hand over her chest, where the synthetic tissues were busy keeping her vital organs operational, “I’m more artificial now than human, and that doesn’t scare me. I know that you are probably turning in your grave over this, but I don’t care.”

                She pushed herself on to her feet, the wood creaking as she did so, “I am Evalyn Shepard, the same girl that you raised, and I’m not afraid of what I am, or what I might become.” She let out a small breath exhale as the simple truth of the words washed over her, “Goodbye, Dad. Say hello to Mom for me.” She started to move but halted in order to whisper one last message into the ether, “I love you both.”

                With swift footsteps she made her way down to the exit, where the hulking form of Wrex waited her just outside the doors. The Krogan gave her a somewhat incredulous glance, “Didn’t think you placed much faith in your Gods, Shepard.”

                But she simply gave a small shake of her head, “Just saying goodbye.” And as the Krogan gave a small nod of understanding she turned to face him directly, “Alright Wrex, what is it that you needed from me?”

The Krogan was unusually silent, though Evalyn supposed that was improperly phrased given that Wrex was fairly taciturn, he was instead being silent in an unusual manner. Finally, though the Krogan began to speak, “I have an Asari daughter, who recently came into conflict with your people. Her Mother wants me to find out what happened to her.”

The blonde tilted her head, knowing that there was some crucial detail of this scenario that was being left out. But now wasn’t the time to press for answers, The Krogan as a species were understandably volatile when it came to children and she didn’t want to risk losing Wrex’s assistance.

With a thought the Alliance databases she had access too became accessible to her, “Okay, give me the details and I’ll see what I can find.”

“Here? Don’t you need to do this in a secure location.” The Spectre shot him an arrogant smirk, “Wrex, trust me when I say that as long as we are on Arcturus, everything I do is secure.”

Wrex just grunted in response before he began to feed her what information he knew, and the Spectre frowned as the possibilities continued to narrow until no results were returned. But instead of informing the Krogan she let him continue, until he drawled out the last piece of information, “They sent the Butcher after her.”

Which drew her attention immediately, she had been digging in files she had access to thinking this was some criminal offense. But is the Butcher was involved that meant that he had been sent there on direct order of the Admiralty, and as she opened up a channel to her Grandfather she knew that he would have answers for her, regardless of if he actually answered her questions.

Evalyn realized though that she didn’t know how far the Krogan wanted this matter pursued, and so she tilted her head to regard him fully, “Do you want me to go farther than just finding out if she is okay?”

Her tone must have implied something different than what she had meant, as a reptilian eye snapped towards her, “Her Mother wants to know if she is still alive, and that is all you are going to do Shepard.” The Krogan stalked off with all the grace of a tank, mumbling under his breath, “Whelp is better off never knowing me anyway.”

The blonde knew better than to push a Krogan from personal experience, so she just gave a small nod of understanding to the mercenary as she waited for him to fade from view before she too made her way down the steps. Only to hear a voice cry out the moment her feet left the premises of the place of worship.

“Commander Shepard!” Reflexively she turned to regard the origin of the voice, and as she spotted the person who had called out to her she found her mouth got ahead of her mind, “Goddess, save me from this day.”

But she wasn’t about to run from the press, let alone Khalisah, and so she turned to directly face the incoming woman. As soon as the reporter was within casual speaking range she stopped, “Commander Shepard, Khalisah Bin-“

“I know your damn name, Khalisah.”

The other woman’s eyes narrowed at the interruption, “Like I was saying, Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News.”

She tapped a small icon on her wrist, causing the drone behind her to hum to life, “Humanity is currently under siege from all angles, and it appears that SA leadership is placing our fate in your hands. A woman who has been living in literal isolation from her own people for half a decade, how are we supposed to believe that you will not put alien interests before your own species?”

The blonde’s face hardened as the other woman spoke, “Still playing the old, I’m a bigger patriot than you game, Khalisah? Always nice to see how little people can change.” Evalyn rubbed the right side of her face with her hand, “My record should speak for itself. Like you said I’ve been in isolation for the last five years, but I consistently assisted both the SA, and our colonies directly whenever I could.”

“So you admit that you at times put alien interests first.” As though sensing what was the come the drone hovering over the reporter’s shoulder shifted to a better angle as the reporter launched into another question.

“Commander, your sudden,” the woman paused briefly before shooting a smirk at her, “Leave of absence, was due to a purported psychological breakdown following the Akuze incident. Was that all part of your cover, or did you indeed suffer such an incident.”

“I don’t think anyone would be able to make it through such an event unscathed.” The blonde’s voice was practically a growl at this point.

But Khalisah only seemed to grow more predatory at that, “Well that is a relief, I was personally worried that the rumours that you sacrificed the entirety of your squad just to establish your cover were true. Now we just have to worry about a Spectre with mental health issues,” the darker skinned woman paused for effect before finishing her thought, “Well two of them I suppose.”

Evalyn could feel her jaw tightening as the assault on her personal character continued, “If I didn’t have such a high opinion of you, old friend. I would think that this attack on me was fuelled by a personal vendetta.” She reached up to brush the hair back from her left eye so that both crimson orbs were locked on the other woman, “You’ve had some amazing work done by the way, I can’t even see where your scars were.”

The other woman’s breath caught in her throat, eliciting a sardonic grin on the Spectre’s part, “Oh I’m sorry, you were using a terrible incident from my past. I thought it was only fair that I returned the favour, though I suppose I was there as well.”

“Is this how our Spectre holds herself accountable to the fifth estate? By tossing personal tragedies about to prove a point?”

The Commander gave a loose shrug, “I was simply following your lead, and I have no intention of standing around here just so you can slander me. Goodbye, Khalisah.”

“You can’t just walk away from this, Shepard. Westerlund news always finds the truth!”  

The camera drone moved to block the Spectre, but a strike that looked like little more than a blur to those nearby knocked the small mechanical out of her path. Her voice calling back to the still sputtering reporter, “Next time I give an interview you can be certain that it won’t be with you!”

S&S

Ashley signalled the man tending bar for another shot, and he dutifully obliged once she slid a handful of credits his way. Most of Council space just used credit chits that functioned as direct access to the holders chosen accounts, but Humanity was still new to the galactic stage and some things are hard to get past.

She snorted into her drink at her train of thought, if she wasn’t drunk enough to avoid philosophising, how was she supposed to be drunk enough to finally sleep for the first time in nearly two weeks.

Two more shots quickly followed suit and she was finally losing sensation in her extremities, after a few minutes of exhaustive testing to ensure she could not indeed feel her fingers she ordered another shot, only to have it stolen by a woman who materialized next to her.

Cora Addison smoothly slid down on to the stool next to her as she casually tossed the shot back, scowling at the taste, “What the hell is this, Chief?”

The brunette shrugged, “Don’t know, but it’s cheap.”

Cora gave out an exasperated sigh, “It better.” The woman turned to face Ash and the Gunnery Chief realized this was the first time she had really looked at the other woman.

The Lieutenant Commander was a rather striking woman, red hair, blue eyes, a face that would be called handsome, a beauty that was strong. But, that was all marred by the shiny burn tissue that enveloped a large portion of the right side of her face disappearing down her neck into the collar of the shirt she wore.

Ashley wondered why the woman hadn’t had the damage fixed, she knew people who earned substantially less than she did who could afford to get work done. But it wasn’t exactly a line of questioning you just opened up with any officer, let alone your executive officer, so she wisely kept her mouth shut.

“Can I help you, Commander?” The red head rolled her eyes as she gave out a dark chuckle, “Yes, you can come with me without a fuss.”

The imperious woman stood up, only to stop and signal the barkeep for another shot. Which she took with another grimace, letting out a noise of utter disgust, “That is atrocious, come along, Williams.”

Ash sighed as she wobbled off the chair, she wasn’t too far gone but it was obvious to anyone that she had been drinking.

Ashley had only been to Arcturus when she had been being shipped from one dead end assignment to another, so she had no idea where the skycar the two of them had stepped into was going. Instead she tried her best to follow along to the conversation that the Commander next to her was having.

The redhead had pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance, as she talked in a condescendingly slow tone to the person on the other side of the call, “Yes, I realize that ExoGeni is within its legal rights to deny evidence to the SA if we don’t have a warrant authorized by C-Sec.” The Commander gave out a snarl of annoyance, “Like I told you earlier, I’m not contacting you on behalf of the SA, this is a request from Spectre Evalyn Shepard,” a sigh exploded from the woman, “No a different human spectre, who the hell do you think I’m talking about!”

The woman’s voice suddenly increased drastically as she was practically shouting in the phone, “Look! You can either give the Spectre the data she’s asking for now, or she will personally go down there and take it. And trust me she is far more likely to find whatever you are trying to hide if you don’t play along.”

With a gesture that had far more force to it then was required the woman disconnected the call, “Fuck,” the woman grimaced as soon as the word left her lips.

Ashley for her part just tilted her head though in her light stupor she tilted a bit too far and banged it off the side of the car, “What was that about?”

 “Just cleaning up Shepard’s mess as usual.” The woman let out an aggravated sigh, “Pressley informed me that the Krogan heard the words shipment, and ExoGeni during your mission prior to Luna. Unfortunately, that is an impossible statistic to track without us having access to their internal database.”

Ash made a small noise of understanding, “So standard corporate run-around?”

“Indeed. Though I will go on the record as saying that they should have simply played ball, if Shepard has to go down there you can be certain that she will find something else to hit them with just for wasting her time. We don’t agree on much, but we both abhor our time being wasted.”

Ashley went to open her mouth before she thought better of it, only to find herself at the end of an inquisitive look from the other woman, “Whatever you were going to ask, go ahead, Williams.”

Ashley visibly swallowed before she nodded, “Well, you two obviously have history. I was just wondering, what exactly it is that made you two so much at odds with one another?”

“We were roommates.”

Ashley blinked a few times, and when no other answer was forthcoming she tentatively asked, “That’s it? You were roommates, so you hate each other?”

At that Cora just burst out laughing, “We don’t hate each other, we’re,” the woman seemed to struggle for a word, “Nemeses.” Before Ashely could inquire further the Commander continued, “Imagine that you take the two brightest people you know, and stick them together for everything. You make no effort to hide that you will be judging them based off the other.” She shook her head at that, “I daresay that even you, Chief, would find yourself disinclined to spend time around the other following that.”   

Any further conversation was cut off as the car finally set down, and the soberer of the two of them made her way towards a nondescript building that on a nearby corner. She pushed the door aside, holding it open until the Chief made her way inside as well.

Ashley blinked a few times as her eyes slowly adjusted to the difference in lighting, until finally she was able to make out several people sitting on the opposite side of the room in a circle. A single individual was speaking, while the rest appeared to simply be listening.

The Commander glanced at her, “You don’t have to talk, just listen.”

“What is this place?” Though Ashley knew the answer, it was some type of support group obviously.

“Survivor group, it was first formed after the FCW by Shanxi survivors. Lots of cities had their populations reduced to double digits, its hard to even acknowledge an event of that magnitude, let alone get past it.”

Ashley shook her head, “I don’t need to sit in a circle and express my feelings, Commander. I was handling things fine on my own.”

“Oh, yes. Quite the rehabilitation of the Williams’s image you have going on, getting brought on board your friend’s ship, then proceeding to get wasted the moment you are back in human space.”

Ashley practically growled at her, “That is none of your business.”

Cora glanced at her haughtily, “On the contrary, Ashley, it is. So I will give you three choices, one I call you a car and you go back to the Normandy, two I call the MP’s and you spend the night sleeping this off in a cell, or three you come into this meeting with me and then I call you a car back to the Normandy.”

The red haired woman gave a shrug of indifference, “I truly don’t care which you pick. Shepard asked me to check in on you. But understand I will not sit around babysitting you all day when I plan on surprising my Daughter by picking her up from school in a few hours.”  

Ashley frowned but gave a sloppy salute to the other woman, “Aye, Ma’am.”

S&S

Shepard yanked another component off of her armour, tossing it into a growing pile of metal and circuitry. Finally satisfied she took a step back and began the process of removing the white weatherproofing that coated most of the armour, revealing the bare black metal underneath.

She knew that Garrus was standing nearby in the bay, but she figured he would talk when he was ready to. She let out a small curse of annoyance as she spotted another part she had meant to remove, yanking it off to be carelessly tossed in the pile with its brethren.

“So, what are you doing?” She shook her head but glanced over her shoulder at the Turian, “The armour’s mass was slowing me down, Chakwas mentioned I might see some improvement there and, speed can keep you alive in places where armour can’t.”

Garrus nodded as he stepped forward, carefully stepping to avoid stomping on any of the parts littering the ground, “I haven’t found anything on Saleon, aside for the fact that the last sighting was somewhere out in the Traverse.”

The blonde frowned as she processed that information, “Good place to hide, too big of an area for the Alliance to properly keep tabs on all the ships moving in the area. That isn’t even factoring in the disruptions to regular patrols that the Batarians cause.” Garrus gave a noise of accent to her point, as she continued talking, “Not even factoring in how many independent stations there are out there, going to be hard to track his movements.”

“It’s not about how hard it is, Shepard. This is about justice.” Evalyn shook her head at the statement, as she gave a small grunt of effort as she yanked off the grip of the pistol Wrex had lost during their game, “Well, I have some contacts out there. Plus, I plan on handling Helena Blake’s partners while Wrex puts the N6’s through their paces, I don’t plan on sitting around doing nothing for nearly two weeks. Saren has enough of a lead on us already.”

Garrus gave a hum of acknowledgment, “Did none of you see this coming?”

Crimson eyes flicked upwards, “I assume by that you mean us Spectres?” At Garrus’ nod she let out a sigh as she leaned back from her work, “It’s not like we have group meetings, I’ve literally worked with Saren once and that was around four years ago.”

Her hands moved to picked up the new grip she had fabricated, while the Krogan pistol was impressive it also was essentially a massive revolver, and in combat she did not have the time to reload a gun a shell at a time. So she had decided the best way to solve the problem was to convert the frame, she had kept as many parts as she could but she probably would have had an easier time fabricating a new gun based on the design.

But she had started this, so she was going to finish it.

“Saren mostly worked alone, reported directly to the Council, hell the only Spectre he had occasional contact with was Nihlus.” She paused as she shot a glance back at Garrus, “Mind if I ask you a question?”

The Turian gave his equivalent of a shrug, “Shoot, Spectre.”

Her lips tugged up in a grin, “Some might think that an unwise choice of words, Garrus.” Only to be met with a grin from the Detective, who drawled, “I’m not too worried, who’s going to keep you alive if I’m not around.”

“I’m sure I can find someone else to steal my kills,” they both chuckled lightly at that, “But in all seriousness, why this case. I know you had cases that were worse than this that ended the same way. So why this one?”

Garrus glanced away his eyes darting as he organized his thoughts, “Saleon was the first time that I realized I regretted my choices that led me to C-sec, that I wished I had taken up the offer for Spectre training back when I was doing my stint in the military.”

Shepard nodded at that, she of course had seen it in his file though it simply listed that he declined, “I saw that you had been marked early on for speculation, why did you turn it down? No offense, but you seem like the type.”

“My Father.”

Evalyn let out a small noise of understanding, “I understand that type of pressure.”

Garrus nodded, “He didn’t approve of Spectres, he’s a lot like the Executor that way. Doesn’t like that someone can be placed above the law.” A frustrated sound emerged from the Turian, “What good is the law if it doesn’t help people? When innocents get hurt, and the guilty get away while the law stands idle, why is the fact that someone exists who can balance the scales wrong?”

Evalyn watched as he vented, before calmly speaking, “Because, there are so few who can be trusted with that type of power.” She rubbed her temples with a sigh, “Not to spread this around but I’ve investigated at least three other Spectres, it didn’t come to anything but we have to be careful. Most of them are hardly more than highly skilled soldiers, and normally they stick to doing just that. But some people just decide to go too far, Saren is literally the perfect storm that we’ve been trying to avoid.”

Her hands smoothly manipulated the pieces in front of her until they were a singular device once again, she had removed the cylinder and instead converted the weapon to take its ammunition via a magazine that would feed in through the grip. The end result didn’t actually have a higher number of shots, but it did at least have the benefit of a faster reload time.

As she set it down on the table before her she glanced up at the Turian, “Garrus I know I said this before, but I need you to listen to me on this one.” The in response Detective gave her a small nod to continue, “Saleon is your call, I won’t dispute that. But, I need you to be dispassionate about this.”

“Dispassionate?” The Turian’s voice was laced with confusion, and perhaps a hint of anger.

“Yes, I want you to take a step back. I’ve seen what happens first hand when a person deals with something that is close to them. You can never be sure what the fallout will be in those instances.”

Avian eyes narrowed before a growled out response came, “No offense, Shepard. But this isn’t Akuze for me. This is about stopping a lunatic, simple as that.” At that his booted feet stomped away, leaving the Spectre alone in the bay.

The blonde sighed, commenting to the empty room as she stood up, “Simple as that.”

S&S

Nazara’s bulk slid through the black, the ancient machine deftly moved through the debris that littered the area. Until finally it came to its destination.

The Asteroid was unremarkable save for its size, and the fact that it contained one of the cycle’s failsafe devices. This device was linked to the Vanguard’s systems, and a detected catastrophic failure would result in a signal being sent to the rest of its kind in dark space. Such an event had happened twice before, and Nazara had no intention of being the third.

But for now it had to handle the reason for why it had come here, the First had summoned it, and even this far removed the ancient being’s power was unquantifiable. In much the same way that the Reapers abilities were beyond the comprehension of the organics that they harvested.

Thoughts turned briefly to Saren and the other less indoctrinated servants it had left behind; those whose minds were incapable of independent thought had been left inside of the Reaper’s shell as they would be of no assistance to the Turian. The former Spectre had left with his own forces to track down a remnant of the Thorian species, the task which for the Spectre’s sake should be accomplished by the time Nazara returned.

Dust and strata floated in the zero gravity as the Reaper settled its bulk onto the surface of the asteroid, and it methodically made its way forward until it came to stand in front of a large projector built into the surface. Moments after Nazara approached a blaze of orange light erupted from the device, as the massive representation of the First came into view.

**_“Nazara.”_ **

**“This communication is irregular, has an event transpired amongst those still inactive?”**

No verbal answer came, instead it came in the form of the projection’s shape shifting fluidly into that of the current Catalyst, Evalyn Shepard. The illusionary Shepard leaned forward, a warped imitation of the human’s voice emerged from the projection, **_“Explain this, Nazara.”_**

The Vanguard’s gestalt intelligence was reeling from this revelation; it had hoped to destroy Shepard without the others becoming aware of her existence. But while the others of their kind may agree to the destruction of such a creature, the First would never agree to such an action.

Especially when the egregious failure of the previous cycle was taken into account. While there still existed enough of their kind to handle any hostilities that could ever be mounted, the loss of an entire cycle’s worth of knowledge was unacceptable to the First.

**“Human, a dual gendered species, this particular example is a female. It is also to our knowledge deceased.”**

The projection tilted its head to the side before violently throwing its head back and laughing, this laugh was also indistinguishable from that of the actual Shepard. Something that Nazara knew was being done to intentionally insult it.

The projection calmed itself, before the lips quirked into an almost vicious smile, **_“This Catalyst is very much still alive, Nazara. She is what awoke me from my slumber.”_**

This information only further complicated matters, if Shepard could connect the First to Nazara then it might have the means to formulate a solid resistance during this cycle. Such an event was not without precedent, but it was inefficient, **“She is a threat to current operation.”**

The projection, still taking the shape of the human raised a brow, **_“Elaborate on these operations, the harvest should have already begun. I can only presume that some form of, complication, has developed.”_**

**“We have lost control of the Nexus. The Keepers do not respond to the control signal, and attempts to both directly and indirectly take control of the subsystems have been blocked. Current data indicates the intelligence is to blame for this.”**

The projection scowled at that, but quickly relaxed to a more neutral expression, **_“That is a complication, but it is one that is to be overcome.”_** The First gestured at the form it had taken, **_“What needs to be made clear is how this Catalyst was conceived. She, resisted me.”_** The last statement came out with a degree of rage that Nazara was unsure how it should react to, nor did it know how to react to the quiet confession that followed, **_“More than any that has come before.”_** If Nazara had to assign an emotion to the Projection at this time it was that it looked almost longing, or wistful. But that was banished as the burning orange pupils focused down on the Reaper.

**_“Was she exposed to the device on their home world. I have been unable to access it upon awakening.”_ **

**“She was not directly exposed to any of our devices. Her indirect exposure has been linked to that of her Mother, who was in close proximity to the beta device that was left on Species 782’s planet.”**

The projection shifted, adopting an expressional that the humans would term sceptical, **_“That does not explain how she acquired ascension materials.”_**

**“The human interrupted a previous attempt at taking direct control of the Nexus using an augmented member of Species 771. It is probably that she managed to subvert the technology used in its production.”**

Silence ruled supreme for several moments, **_“She, subverted, technology that should be beyond her ability to comprehend.”_**

The projection let out an aggrieved sigh before every single mind that made up the gestalt that is Nazara screamed out in pain, **_“A misstep of this magnitude could not only cost us the harvest of this cycle, but also result in catastrophic failure of the cycle as a whole.”_** As the onslaught continued the weaker minds that formed Nazara’s consciousness began to blink into non-existence, **_“Another failure of this magnitude, and this punishment will appear to have been a mercy.”_** As soon as the statement was over the pain was gone, and while Nazara was weakened it was still functional.

The projection seemed almost bored as it glanced down at its hands with a degree of interest, **_“Attempt to keep her alive, but take steps to eliminate her if no other alternative present itself.”_**

The exchange over the projection blinked out of existence. Leaving Nazara alone in the darkness, alone except for the rage that sparked through its damaged synapses.

S&S

The table was set, the meal upon it was what you would be unsurprised to see in the home of any middle class family in the UNAS. Of course this family in particular despite such attempts at normalcy was anything but.

The Butcher glanced at his daughter, who was methodically making her way through her meal, carefully ensuring that her food remained isolated from each other. “How was visiting your Grandparents?”

The girl, nearly a woman if he was being honest to himself, glanced up at the question. Emily at seventeen greatly resembled her Mother, brown hair that fell to her jawline framed a face that while attractive was judgemental in nature. An effect that was only intensified by her flat grey eyes.

Of course the girl had some of his aspects as well, having inherited his height she towered over most humans. The girl also had his inherent cunning, and combined with the benefit of a more traditional education had resulted in her surpassing his own intellect some time ago.

She let a small smile play on her lips, “They aren’t pleased that I’m going to join the Alliance. They seem to think that I’m just throwing my life away.”

Sarah shook her head at that, “They are just a pair of bitter old colonials, ignore them, Em. There is nothing wrong with serving our government, isn’t that right, Dear.”

Max shook his head good naturedly, “As long as you have a choice in the matter I have no problem with it.” Emily hid a smile at that as she took a drink of water from her glass, before asking, “What did Admiral Shepard have you do?”

Her mother made a small click of her tongue at that, her way of telling Emily not to pry. But he just smiled at his daughter, “And how did you puzzle that out?”

The youngest member of the household slowly finished her current portion before she responded to the question, “Your boots were moved.”

The parents exchanged glances before the solitary male parroted back at her, “My boots.”

“Yes, you haven’t touched your boots since you returned from Torfan. I find it hard to believe that it is just a coincidence that the week Admiral Shepard returns to active service your boots miraculously move.”

The N7 couldn’t resist the smirk that played across his features as he answered, “Perhaps, I simply went for a walk.”

His retort initially only received a scathing glare before the girl let out a huff of disbelief, “A walk? The only time you leave the house is for your tribunal appointments, or for your supervised trips to the ‘training grounds.’”

“Enough, Emily.” Both participants in the conversation turned to glance at the family matriarch who was clearly not amused at either party, she fixed her more veteran gaze at her daughter her voice was soft but unyielding, “Enough.”

The girl dropped her head but mutely agreed, and the table descended once again into an uneasy, but not unsurprising silence. Finally thought it was broken as Emily spoke to her Father, “I found out where I’m going to be doing my basic.”

He sat down his utensils as he turned to fully regard her news, “Oh, and where are you shipping out to? UNAS? Or the grounds in the AEU?”

She shook her head at both suggestions, before tentatively stating, “Mindoir.”

The two brunette’s exchanged worried glances when no response came, instead Maximillian rapidly pushed himself away from the table, shouting over his shoulder, “Excuse me I need to make a call.” Unaware that Sarah was following close behind him, though not before she shot a sharp gesture for Emily to stay where she was as she left the room.

As she slipped into the room behind her husband it was clear that he was already venting his frustrations on the first person who had the misfortune of answering the call, likely an aide of one of the Admirals that he had dirt on.

An annoyed sigh escaped her lips, she was not about to have him throw away perfectly good bargaining chips when he was unaware of all the facts. And with the use of an old trick a friend from her younger days had taught her she disrupted his call, causing the behemoth of a man to turn towards her in reflexive anger, “What do you think you’re doing! I am not having our baby girl being sent out to Camp Discharge!”

The nickname itself stemmed from the unflattering fact that soldiers trained at Mindoir were four times more likely to be discharged from the service early, as compared to the troops trained in either Local cluster or one of the inner colonies. The fact that Mindoir trainees were mostly outer colonials was seen as proof to the older hardliners in the military that humans from the outer colonies were unreliable, in fact most soldiers trained on Mindoir found themselves passed over for promotion for those viewed as more, ‘patriotic.’

Of course the Government wasn’t going to close down Mindoir’s boot camp just because the upper echelons were perpetrating Systems War stereotypes, after all they had spent a great deal of money turning the decimated colony into a veritable fortress. Transforming what had been one of the worst atrocities committed in recent human memory into a potent symbol that dared the Batarian’s to try again.

His train of thought was interrupted as his wife placed her hand on his arm, her soothing voice attempting to assuage his worries, “Trust me when I say that Mindoir is exactly where she needs to be.”

He tilted his head as he regarded her face, but her expression was that same stony mask that he admired so much. Finally, he gave up and simply asked, “What do you know?”

A self satisfied smile pulled at her lips, “A great deal. But in this instance I know that there is some type of special new division being formed, and Mindoir is where they are going to be ground zero for recruiting.”

He let out a long sigh, “And you think that is why she’s being shipped there. Not because of, well us.”

A low laugh escaped her lips, “If it was about us, and let’s be honest here it would be mostly about you, I don’t think they would have even processed her file.” She traced her hand up his arm as she continued, “Anyway, I’m as certain as I can be without actually breaking into their systems.”

Her hand linked with his as she tugged him back towards the dining room, “Come on, dinner is getting cold.”

That statement had the same effect it always did as a trickle of amazement flooded his system, “I still can’t believe you learned to cook.”

A light laugh emerged from her, “I will admit that corporate espionage was an easier vocation than Mother.”

S&S

“What about this one?” Evalyn glanced up at the file being offered her by the LT helping her to sift through the numerous N6 files, having been relieved of Jack duty after the girl had passed out in her cubby.

The blonde neatly snapped the file up, and shot it the briefest of glances before she tossed it into the reject pile, “Pass.”

An exasperated sigh emerged from Kaidan, “Any particular reason, Ma’am? If we had some guidelines we might be able to speed this process up.”

“If I knew what I was looking for, then I would already have it now wouldn’t I.”

Before anything else could be added a datapad slid down the table from the opposite direction, “What about this lass, plenty of biotic punch.” The Commander gave it a quick glance as well before it went to join the rest of the rejects.

“A Fury has no use other than in an offensive operation, plus we have plenty of biotic ‘punch’ right now. We need specialists who bring something unique to the table, something that the Geth won’t be able to quickly adapt to. Don’t look at this as an exercise in simply adding a bigger gun to our arsenal, think sideways.”

Kaidan rummaged in his pile before he tossed one towards her, as the blonde caught it the Lieutenant informed her what she was looking at, “N6 Valkyrie.”

“Valkyrie, valkyrie? That isn’t a designation I’m familiar with.” She quickly scanned through the file, murmuring to herself as she did so, “Combat medic, skilled in battlefield triage, and surgery. Good catch, Lieutenant, though I dare say that Admiral Mikhailovich will be rather upset when we take him.” She turned and set the pad down with its four brothers, “Just one more to go gentlemen.”

The sound of the lift drew her attention, and when a series of small tremors resounded through the deck plating she knew that Wrex must be coming to join them, without glancing up from the file in her hand the blonde spoke, “Wrex.”

“Shepard.” Silence filled the air between them for a few moments before he added, in as soft a voice as a Krogan can manage, “Did you find anything?”

The Spectre’s crimson eyes glanced up to meet the reptiles similar coloured orbs, giving him a small nod as she reached down and tossed an OSD clipped on her belt in a single smooth motion, Wrex for his part caught the small disc shaped storage device with a surprising amount of grace for a creature of his bulk, “That was everything that I could find, Wrex.”

The Krogan was silent for a while, simply toying with the device in his hands before he glanced up and gave her a quick nod, “Thanks, Shepard.”

“Anytime, Wrex.”

As the Mercenary plodded away Evalyn could see the wheels in Kaidan’s head turning, “Leave it be, LT.”

The Lieutenant jumped somewhat as her voice disturbed his concentration, the man stumbling over his words as he tried to regain his composure, “Yes, Ma’am. Of course, Ma’am.”

Reilly chuckled from his side of the table, before he found himself being starred down by the Spectre, “Enough distractions, back to the grindstone, gentlemen.”

Time passed and the while the rejected pile continued to grow there was no such motion on the opposing side, and all three humans gave out a groan of relief when Liara appeared with two Asari flanking her.

Shepard swiftly stood and made her way to the Doctor, who in the interim had sent her two companions down the lift with their gear. Evalyn jerked her head at the retreating forms, “Are they any good?”

Liara rolled her eyes at the question, “No I hire incompetent guards to lure my enemies into a false sense of security,” the moment the answer left the Asari’s lips her expression became thoughtful, “I may have to consider that idea.”

The blonde let out a laugh at that, earning a small shove from the Doctor, “Amia, and Lidera, are completely loyal and they have over fifty of your years’ worth of experience.” The Maiden leaned in closely, a predatory smile on her lips, “Plus I have information on both of them that the Justicars would be very interested in.”

Liara shifted to the side slightly, giving her a full view of the mess table, “Doing research without me? I’m hurt.” Evalyn couldn’t resist the small smile that formed on her lips as the two of them walked over to the table, “We are going through the candidate list that the SA sent over, just one more to go.”

“This one has taken more time than the others put together,” Reilly’s annoyed huff caused a chuckle to emerge from Kaidan who was still dutifully working away at his pile.

Shepard reached down and pulled a random pad from the pile, and she couldn’t help but chuckle as she read the file, causing everyone in the room to look at her with confusion.

The blonde tossed the file to Kaidan, “Remember when I said we didn’t need another gun, well I’m rescinding that order.”

The Sentinel wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be looking at until his eyes caught upon it, “Trained in use of the T5-III battlesuit, I thought that project was scrapped after the combat trials were a bust?”

Shepard shrugged, “That suit should let a human take on one of those destroyers in a fist fight, let alone the tactical options they present when it comes to gear. Plus, combined with the heavy suit Williams has it gives us a formidable frontline force.”

The Spectre gave a nod of thanks to both men, “I’ll go and send off this list to command, they’ll make sure they are all in place.”

Liara trailed after the Spectre as she left to her cabin, leaving a frowning Lieutenant and Chief behind. Before finally Kaidan sighed, “Guess we’re stuck cleaning this mess up.”

S&S

The heart of the SA’s most visible intelligence organization never slept, the constant buzz of conversation combined with the steady hum of the multitude of terminals gave it an almost hive like quality. Hackett grimaced as he made his way through the numerous ‘drones,’ blindly following their orders regardless of what they were.

The Admiral knew that from literally any moral perspective he was bankrupt, but he always took some solace in the fact that he always stared the dead in the eye. Here though lives were just so much data on screens, and in particular this room was filled with those who had found some dark iron in their soul.

As he reached the epicenter of the room a small figure blinked into existence from a small podium on his right. The small representation of the stations A.I was apparently based off some high profile business woman from the twenty-first, but Hackett had never found himself inclined to look into it.

“Admiral, the Director is waiting for you in battle room two.” Hackett let out a sigh as he readjusted his hat, nodding briefly, “Thank you, Eliza.”

“You’ve welcome, Admiral.” With that the figure blinked out as quickly as she appeared while the Admiral continued forward toward the door.

Hackett stepped inside the reinforced doors that concealed a vast array of technology designed to defeat any attempt at surveillance, a level of paranoia that was both impressive and disturbing.

At the sound of Hackett entering the room the sole person in the room turned to regard him, Director Wolfgang Quinn was a gaunt man who was in the process of going grey early. He gave a nod of his sharp featured face, “Admiral, thank you for joining me at such short notice.”

Hackett glowered at the man as he made his way down the short set of stairs to the sunken pit that held the room’s primary projector, “Just get on with it, Quinn. Unlike you people notice when I go missing without cause.”

The other man’s face was a mask, but for the rage that flickered in his eyes for a brief moment before it too disappeared under the veneer. Giving a dispassionate nod of his head he gestured for Hackett to join him, “Very well, Admiral,” and he quickly began to tap in several commands bringing the room’s projector to life.

As an image flickered into existence the middle of the room Hackett quickly associated the projection with the area of space that held the border between the Hegemony and the Alliance. As more commands were tapped in red dots began to appear sporadically, while crimson lines stretched between them. All of them racing outward from Batarian space and into the human realm of control.

As more dots continued to pop up Hackett was finding himself unable to spot a pattern between them all, “Tell me what I’m looking at, Quinn.”

A smug look crossed the man’s features as he tapped in one final command, and a horde of red dots appeared, and the lines that connected them clearly represented routes traversing the region. Another quick command and the dots were highlighted on the map, “These represent sightings of Batarian vessels in SA space, the sightings started roughly two years ago, but they have drastically increased over the last six months.”

“That is a lot of traffic.”

“Quite.” At another key press the red lines became the highlighted element, “Given that these sightings have been only sporadically reported it took us some time to compile the data. But what we have been able to piece together is that the Batarian’s have been probing our territory to find routes around our patrols, less Elysium more Mindoir.”

“Timetable?” An attack of this magnitude wasn’t easy to hide, and the Batarian’s didn’t have the resources to spare for this to be a bluff.

The Director drummed his fingers on the edge of the projector, “Three weeks at the minimum, four months at the outset, according to our latest projections. If they wait longer than that at least half of First fleet will be done of their retrofits, and at least a third of Sixth fleet’s support vessels will be operational.”

Hackett nodded at the statement, his hand rising to his chin as he contemplated the map, “And the Juno will at least be combat ready, her showers might not run but the guns will fire.”

“Indeed.” The man tapped in another handful of inputs and several systems in the region were highlighted, “Our projections had Eden Prime as one of the targets though that seems somewhat unlikely now given recent events. As well we also identified Caledon, Trimsmiir, and Mindoir, as likely targets.”

“Mindoir?” That is bold.” Quinn nodded but tapped an intelligence report on the planet in question, “Our internal models show that a collapse of Mindoir would result in a collapse of SA faith in the region, with a one in four chance that it would set off another Systems war. And you can be certain that if our projections say it, then so do theirs.”

Hackett continued to study the map, musing out loud, “A decisive victory against those four eyed bastards could earn us enough time to gain that Council seat.”

“Exactly my thoughts as well.” The Director shifted his gaze from the map to the Admiral, “As the Admiral in charge of this region the command decision is technically up to you.”

“Are the civilians aware of this?” That earned a dry chuckle, “No, there has been a slew of budget cuts over the last year. It simply plays havoc with our ability to process data and draw accurate conclusions.”

Hackett nodded at that, “I’ll inform Lindholm, she’ll be on board. For now, we will keep this strictly between just the three of us.” He stepped closer to the projector, pointing at several sectors, “I’ll situate myself near Trimsmiir, and she will set up near Caldeon.”

“And Mindoir?”

Hackett turned his attention to the blinking icon, “We didn’t spend all those funds turning the place into a fortress to never use it. Plus, this attack might make those recruits realize that aliens are not our friends.”

The gaunt man at his side gave a nod of agreement at the sentiment, “As you say, Admiral.”

S&S

Shepard was in the mess pouring over some technical documents that the retrofitters had sent over to her, only becoming aware of Kaidan’s approach once he had settled down across from her, “Ma’am, can I have a moment?”

The blonde dropped the datapad in her hands to the table in front of her, “Of course, Lieutenant. What can I help you with?”

“I’d like to stay behind, Ma’am.” Confusion twisted the Spectre’s features, “I’m sorry to hear that, Lieutenant, it’s going to be incredibly hard to replace you.”

This time it was Kaidan who was the confused party, “What? No, I meant I’d like to stay behind to watch over the retrofits with Joker. Plus, they are going to put Jack through some accelerated Alliance training so it was ‘requested,’ that I stay behind.”

Evalyn let out a relieved laugh, “Goddess, Kaidan, you had me worried for a moment there, and that shouldn’t be a problem.” She stretched in her chair, letting out a groan as she did so, “Pinnacle is going to be fairly dull, mostly just Wrex pounding the N6’s to see which ones he can break.”

“You sure he should be the one training them.”

The blonde smirked at that, “Wrex is bloody ancient, Kaidan, and he has spent his entire lifetime enveloped in war. If he gives someone his seal of approval I’m going to listen.”

She tapped the datapad against the lip of the table, “The crews will be replacing the plating of the main hull, but they can’t replace the thruster plating without delaying us longer. I’ll need you, along with Pressley, and Joker to keep them on task, I won’t have Saren get a bigger lead because of ‘delays.’”

Kaidan gave her a nod, “I understand, Ma’am. Want me to go and pass the message along?”

“Yes, please.”

She went over the files in front of her a few more times until she was satisfied that the second portion of the retrofit was workable, finally she initiated her communication’s interface, opening up a call to Synthetic Insights.

“Hello, and thank you for contacting SI, the galaxies leader in artificial intelligence research. How can I be of assistance today?”

She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the chipper individual, “This is Spectre Evalyn Shepard, I’d contacted your manufacturing division roughly a day ago to deliver to find out the prospective cost of manufacturing a quantum computer of my own design. She sighed, you know what just put me through to the head of the manufacturing division, I’ve just forwarded my credentials.”

Several moments ticked by until a much louder voice filled the channel, “Greetings: Spectre I am delighted that you have contacted us again. Eager question: Are you pleased with the quote we sent to you earlier today?”

She blinked in confusion before a momentary check brought up the message that she had missed earlier, “If I’m being honest I didn’t even see it, no I called you to say that regardless of price I want you to go ahead with production.”

“Unrestrained exuberance: This is excellent, Spectre. Conspiratorial comment: Between you and me, this whole Eden Prime has been bad for my division.”

She wasn’t sure whether to be amused or insulted, “Yes, I, I can see why that would be. Well I have to go, contact me when you are ready to ship it, I want to make sure it reaches me in one piece.”

With that she disconnected the call, before she called up another contact.

The line was quiet for several moments before it went live, and Evalyn spoke first before the other party, “You interested in a job?”

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit Song: The State Vs. Thomas Light by The Protomen
> 
> Who is the last member to be added? Are they a new character? Someone from ME 2? Someone from ME 3? Dealer’s choice! (I’m the dealer)
> 
> Sorry for the delay, been rather frustrated by my classes as we are essentially learning stuff that is useful to our actual jobs, but not what we are tested on. So I’m having to essentially teach myself all the material in my spare time.
> 
> Just a note here that the armor mentioned is an older variant of the multiplayer suit from ME 3, which was the T5-V, while this model is obviously two generations prior to what we see then.


	17. Besties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, X-COM 2 happened.
> 
> My apologies.
> 
> I also hit a massive block trying to write this section, I know what I needed to do, but the actual ability to do it escaped me. And when that happens it means I just jump forward and work on something that comes easier to me, so I’ve got some very finalized drafts for some later chapters done. Which of course wasn’t getting you guys a new chapter any sooner so I pretty much forced myself to sit down and work on this until I finished it.  
> Not wholly satisfied with it, but here it is.
> 
> Song Themes:  
> Prima/Harbinger/The First: Euthanasia by The Murder of My Sweet

S&S

Shepard stood on the bridge of the Tiber, her eyes staring out the vessel’s forward viewports. Tolliver had pulled some strings to appropriate the corvette for her use while the Normandy was out of commission. The ship was an older model which dated back to the Systems War, the ship having been retrofitted at the request of a now retired Admiral.

Steps padded up behind her, and while she didn’t consciously do it her new cyberware had integrated into the ship’s internal systems as soon as she arrived allowing her to observe Liara’s approach long before she arrived, “What has you so deep in thought?”

The blonde turned and gave the Asari a small, hopefully, reassuring smile, but she didn’t respond right away instead she returned her gaze to the viewport. After a few more moments of stargazing she let out a sigh as she returned her gaze to her lover, “Just trying to savour the silence. Once the Normandy is retrofitted we won’t have much downtime until this is over. However, it plays out.”

A blue hand settled on her fleshy forearm, “I believe that we will make it through this. There is nothing that my Mother, or Saren for that matter can throw at us that we can’t overcome.”

A shadow settled over Shepard’s features, “They aren’t what haunts my dreams.”

Worry flickered within those blue eyes as the Doctor’s hand squeezed the human’s arm, “Have you had that dream again?”

Evalyn shook her head in response to the question, “It feels like I’m missing something. Like there is a puzzle in front of me, and there is a piece missing, but I don’t know how I even know that there is a piece missing.” She let out an aggravated sigh, “I don’t even make sense to myself.”

Liara gave a small laugh at that, “We’ll figure it out, but there is no reason to tear yourself apart over this.” She gave a tug on the Spectre’s arm, “Come along, you need to decide who will come with you to deal with Blake’s business partners.”

The pair made their way through the small ship until they came to the cargo bay, most of the space was taken up by a prototype M-62 gunship that she had ‘borrowed’ on her off Arcturus. The rest of the space had been turned into a makeshift table which the rest of her people crowded around, either spectating or playing the card game that had been setup there.

She wasn’t sure what game they were playing from here, but if Wrex’s grin was any kind of indication they were likely playing Omega Gambit.

The game was played similar to poker, specifically the community card based games such as Texas or Arcturus hold’em. There was one notable change though, whereas community cards would regularly be revealed at the various stages of the game, in Gambit they were all revealed after the third and final round of betting.

As such the game had little in the way of traditional strategy, and instead relied solely on one’s ability to bluff, it was an excellent method of finding out a person’s character.

“Wrex, why the hell are you playing Gambit?”

The Krogan gave the approaching human a tooth filled grin, “Only game I could think of that the Turian can’t cheat at.”

Garrus for his part just chuckled from his spot at the table, his cards sitting next to an open bottle of some type of Turian liquor which must have cost him a premium on a human station, “I wouldn’t get too ahead of myself, Wrex. How about we see how this hand plays out?”

Wrex slammed his tankard down with an even wider grin, pushing in enough chips to raise the current wager a substantial amount. Mills who was the only human still playing scowled, but matched the Battlemaster’s wager. Ania tossed her cards into the middle of the table with a huff, while Garrus matched the wager with a Turian smirk.

Reilly who was seated in the middle of the table as the dealer glanced to ensure that the round was done, and gestured for everyone to flip over their cards. Once that was done it took a single button press for the community cards to reveal their faces.

At that Mills erupted into a string of curses, while Wrex with a bellow of anger threw his tankard at the Turian, who only narrowly dodged because he was bent over from laughing so hard.

Shepard for her part ignored the chaos as she strolled forward, her feet halting once she was standing next to the still laughing Turian, her gaze shifting to the combat engineer.

“What was the wager?”

Reilly’s lips moved silently as he quickly tallied up the pot sitting in the middle of the table, “Little over four hundred credits, Ma’am.”

The Commander gave him a small nod of acknowledgement as she pushed the stack over to the Turian’s side of the table, her voice overpowered the laughter and caused the room to still, “I have no issue with you blowing off steam, but I have rules. Number one, no one wagers over a hundred credits, you want to have a high stakes game, barter. Number two, there is to be no fighting over the outcomes of these games. Number three, you cheat and your off my ship.”

She pivoted on her heel and began to walk out, Liara sliding in neatly just behind her as the blonde barked out a final order, “Wrex, Garrus, meet me on the bridge.”

S&S

Saren glowered as the Asari ship slowly came in to dock with his own personal vessel, having been unceremoniously tossed off of the Reaper without so much as an explanation. His talon’s clicked against each other as his mood soured at the fact that Sovereign seemed to value him less and less, a fact that did not bode well for his own species.

Furthering his bad mood was the news that was only now reaching him out here at the edges of the extranet, Shepard was still alive. Despite the fact that he had been assured that the wounds she had received were fatal.

Finally, the airlock thrummed as it synced with the other ship, before, with a hiss the hatch rose and Benezia sauntered across the entryway. Followed closely behind by the prototype Geth unit he had sent with her.

The Turian’s voice was a barely contained snarl, “Benezia, you’re late.” His eyes snapped to the hatchway that remained empty of the Commando’s that had gone with the Asari, “And where are the rest of your forces?”

The substantially older individual flicked her gaze towards him aggravation reigned supreme in those orbs, “Patrols were far more numerous then your intelligence suggested, if it wasn’t for this Geth here we would likely have been intercepted. As for the rest of my Commando’s they died, or were left behind to die.” The Matriarch’s head tilted slightly to one side, “Is something the matter?”

At her final statement Saren had sprung into motion, wrapping his talons around her throat as a snarl exploded from his throat, “Shepard survived!”

The Geth stepped forward, a modulated but understandable voice emerging from it surprised the former Spectre, “Shepard:Catalyst sustained critical damage to numerous primary platform systems, delivery method of damage was a polonium laced armor piercing accelerator round to the torso.”

Saren growled as he tossed the Matriarch into a crumpled heap, turning towards a nearby screen he activated, causing it to light up with the various human networks he could reliable receive out here, and every single one of them was still at least partially dedicated to their Spectre’s surprise appearance on Arcturus.

Benezia slowly made her way to her feet, her eyes hardly even glancing at the screen and its contents, though the Geth stood transfixed at it. The ancient being’s voice was strained from the pressure that had been just put on her throat, “Saren, we were able to extract the name of the company that was the source of the thralls from Hannah Shepard.” The Asari’s eyes glazed over suddenly and her voice trailed off, Saren though was far too enraged to notice the shift. Only noticing when the Asari did not reveal to him the information that she had been leading up to.

His talon’s clicked once again from annoyance as he rumbled out his displeasure, “I despise dramatic pauses, Benezia.”

The Matriarch blinked a few times as though lost, “Apologies, Saren, the thralls were purchased from EXOGeni, a company that mainly operates out in the Traverse. I am certain that Sovereign can hack their network to discover from where they originated.”

“If Sovereign was here that would be an option, but it isn’t currently here in case you failed to notice the ship we are on!” Saren lashed out knocking the Matriarch off her feet and into a nearby bulkhead, he towered over the prone Asari his chest heaving as he tried to calm himself.

Finally, as his breathing steadied he took several steps back, “We’ll have the Geth mine their network, it will be slower but at least we will be proceeding forward.”

The Turian allowed for her to return to her feet, gesturing for her to leave him, but found himself calling out to the Matriarch’s retreating form, “Core,” he shook his head at the name he had known her first by, “Hannah, did she die well?”

“She died protecting her children,” another brief flicker of annoyance flashed in her blue eyes before they glazed over again, “Was there anything else?”

Saren waved her off, muttering to himself, “I at least owed her that much.” His gaze trailed to the Geth that was still watching the human broadcasts, “Geth, go and get that damage patched up.”

The unit glanced down at the gaping hole in its torso, giving a glimpse into the inner working of the platform, “This unit has already adjusted to the damage, attempts to repair it may reduce platform efficiency.”

Saren just growled as he left the room, leaving the Geth to return its attention to the human woman that was featured so prominently.

S&S

Miranda glanced up and down the length of the hallway that her room was connected too, as she wanted to avoid contact with the ship’s crew as much as possible while at the same time having to concede to her bodies demand for nourishment. She padded softly down the metal corridor, wearing only the form fitting base layer of her armor, which she had to also concede was not the most revealing getup she had ever worn, a fact that Eva would have been quick to point out, the prude.

Finally, she reached one of the access ladders that led to the upper section of the ship, she had been informed that there were stairways also but she was not one to shy from some extra effort if it got the task done faster. Upon reaching the apex of the ladder she gingerly stepped into the upper access way, and a quick examination of her surroundings revealed what the location of what appeared to be the ship’s common area.

And lucky for her the brainless oaf that had been her welcoming committee was also in plain view.

She steeled herself for the encounter even as a sigh escaped her lips, though as she crossed the threshold into the room proper an unfamiliar voice caused her to instantly stop, her mind and body both preparing for a surprise assault, “Jackson didn’t think you’d come out of your cabin for another day,” the unknown speakers voice turned into an almost sing-song tone, “Someone, owes me credits.” While she forced herself to relax Miranda began to analyze the voice she had not yet put a face to you, it was female, but there was an almost electronic undertone to it, not synthesised but something was off.

And it wasn’t helping her paranoia one bit.

The man, Jackson she supposed, tossed a coin across the room with a sour expression on his face, and as Miranda watched the coin’s arc she saw it swiftly snatched out of the air by a cybernetic limb. Miranda could only thank her extensive training for her lack of a reaction as she took in the rest of the body that the limb in question was connected to.

The woman in question had lost both of her left appendages, and given the sheer scale of the damage likely significant portions of her torso as well. Her skull and neck both also had obvious cybernetics integrated into them, with one section of her skull in particular being devoted to an access panel for what was no doubt some very sensitive cybernetics.

The woman’s hair was shaved fully on the left side, likely to avoid any complications with her cyberware, while the hair on her left was a blood red color framing her face as it carried down to the upper neck. The woman’s full lips cracked into a grin, “Told ya she wouldn’t scream,” and the woman let out a slightly unnatural laugh as she caught yet another coin that was tossed across the room.

The sound of rushed footsteps attracted everyone’s attention as the Captain stumbled into the room, slightly unbecoming for a supposedly mature adult, “Did I miss it? Did she scream? Please tell me there was screaming.”

An almost petulant, “No,” emerged from the man still seated in the room, only to be followed by another dark chuckle from the cybernetic woman as the Captain fished out a coin of his own which he slammed down on to the counter in front of her.

Miranda had by this time finally recovered from the almost surreal scene that had just transpired before her, one of her brows arcing skyward as she tried to fully comprehend the situation she had just been thrust into, “You bet as to whether or not I would scream upon seeing you?”

The woman, who she had to presume was the ‘Beth’ the Captain had spoken of previously, gave her as good natured of a smile as she could with the sheer amount of cybernetics she had, “Don’t feel bad we do it to everyone who comes on board, not many people can handle seeing this much hardware sticking out of a human.” She jerked her chin toward the man in the corner, “Jackson screamed like a little girl and ran the other way first time he saw me.”

“I did not, the lighting was bad, and you looked bigger!”

A snort emerged from the cyborg, along with a muttered, “Right.”

Miranda gave a small nod of understanding, “My, Sister, has had a great deal of cybernetic work done as well, I am, simply used to it I suppose.” The other woman nodded at the statement as Miranda moved over to the counter the medic/cook was standing behind, “I may regret asking this, but what exactly is there to eat?”

A chuckle emerged from Jackson across the room, “Oh you’ll regret it,” only to let out a yelp of pain as the Captain batted him on the back of the head.

Beth just shrugged off the comment though, “We have some of those older colonial rations, look like mud, tastes worse, but they fill you up and they never expire so they have that going for them.” She ducked her head under the counter, “Looks like we still have some of the newer Alliance packs leftover from out last heist,” the woman froze midsentence as she realized the implication of her last statement, “Which we obviously did not do, hence why we have the ration packs.”

Miranda couldn’t help but smirk at the slip, “Nice recovery.”

Beth gave her an overly elaborate bow, “Thank you,” as she straightened herself up she shot Miranda an apologetic smile, “Normally we’d have something to pass for actual food around here, but it’s been awhile since we’ve had the chance to stop anyplace to resupply.”

The raven haired woman just shrugged in return, “I’ve dealt with worse before.”

Boots signaled movement behind her and soon the Captain had settled down on one of the stools in front of the counter, and as Miranda further studied him she began to put together the man’s likely story. From his bearing he was ex-military for certain, but definitely not Alliance. She pegged him in his late forties, which did mean he was the right age to have severed in the civil war the had engulfed the early Systems Alliance. Many Colonials though had refused to accept the terms of the treaty that had ended the conflict, instead choosing to move out past the edge of human space haphazardly colonizing planets between the Traverse and the unofficial borders of the Terminus systems.

Some soldiers though had stayed behind, either joining the SA and going back to their homes, or plying their skills in the civilian market, either unable or unwilling to leave human space but likewise disinclined to join the military they had fought so hard against.

She was quite certain that he fit quite firmly in with category three, though given the nature of his work she felt quite certain that this was a man for whom the war was not over for.

A sentiment that was not all that uncommon or unsurprising among former Colonial soldiers, as John Shepard had essentially forced the Colonials to sign the treaty with a gun to their heads, though in this case the gun was an asteroid he was fully willing to drop on top of the Colonial capital world.

The man took a drink from the metal cup Beth had filled with some sort of steaming liquid, likely coffee but Miranda was close enough to be certain, “We’ll be stopping by Elysium on the way to Flotsam, I hope that your presence won’t cause us any undue trouble?”

Miranda’s lips quirked up in a satisfied manner, “I believe, Captain, that you are of greater interest to the authorities than I am.”

The man cocked his head, “This from the woman who had herself smuggled out of the Home system.”

Miranda let any levity fall from her features, “I never said that no one was looking for me, simply that it is not the authorities,” she paused briefly before asking, “Will that be a problem, Captain?”

The man shook his head, “Complications appear to be my specialty, Lady, but I am informing you in advance that if I get shot I will expect my standard rate.”

Miranda couldn’t stop herself from questioning the previous statement, “You have a fee for being shot? Does it really happen that often?”

Beth let out a harsh laugh at that statement as she continued to busy herself with something on the other side of the counter, “How do you think we manage to make any money?”

S&S

_Snow crunched beneath her boots as she tried her best to follow in her Grandfather’s larger boot prints, the antique rifle in her gloved hands was clutched tightly to her chest as she didn’t trust her shivering limbs to not drop it into the snow._

_She sure as hell wasn’t going to drop, she shook her head to banish the memories that threatened to surface of the rifle’s previous owner, suffice it to say she had no plans on dropping it._

_Her Grandfather came to a halt, his hand shooting up signalling for her to stop as well, the girl’s body obeyed the training that had been drilled into her from the previous trips she had taken out here over the years._

_She shook her head as the girl again worked to banish the memory of just who she had been here with last, instead she clutched at the weapon in her hands even tighter focusing on the pain that shot through her hands and up her arms to assist her in that goal._

_Finally, her Grandfather began to move forward again, “Blind’s just up ahead.” The smaller Shepard gave a nod of her head as she followed him to one of the enclosures that he had setup throughout the area._

_The two of them went through the motions of ensuring the shelter was still sound, before the two of them settled down and unpacked the gear they had taken with them. Their current vantage allowed them a full view of the valley that stretched below them, and that view had always before been beautiful to her._

_Now it just reminded her that she would never see it again without the aid of a machine._

_She was pulled out of her thoughts by her Grandfather’s rough voice, “You’re Mother told me you got into a fight.”_

_Her good eye flicked toward him, having developed a habit of keeping her hair swept to the left to hide the artificial orb ever since the, incident, “It wasn’t important enough for you to drag me out to the middle of nowhere just to chat about it.”_

_“You shattered a boy’s arm, Eva.”_

_The blonde was silent for some time, taking the occasional sip of the thermos she had retried from her pack, “He was a bully.”_

_Harrison simply grunted at that statement, “Just because some kid makes fun of you doesn’t mean you can mutilate them, Child.” An aggravated sigh escaped his lips as he began to scan the valley with the binoculars that he had packed with him. Eventually Eva’ s voice broke the silence, “He wasn’t bullying me.”_

_The binoculars lowered as the man turned his gaze toward his Granddaughter, “Okay.”_

_“He was bullying another kid, their sister is one of the L2’s, one of the bad ones. He was going on about how the girl is nothing but a freak, then he said that this kid was going to turn out to be a freak just like her.”_

_Harrison shook his head; the situation wasn’t that surprising to him but it didn’t make it right. “You didn’t use your own biotics right?”_

_The young girl shot him a look that he swore made him dumber, “Please I don’t need them to break someone’s arm.”_

_He gave out a dark chuckle at that, “Point taken.”_

_The pair settled into silence as they took turns watching the valley. Finally, though Harrison broke the cycle they had found themselves in, It’s alright to be angry you know. God knows I was furious after my own Father died.” He trailed off for several moments as his mind drifted before he refocused himself in the present, on the reason that he was even talking about this, his Granddaughter, “The point is that you need to channel that anger, make it your slave not the other way around.”_

_Eva as he was talking had slowly set down the binoculars that she had been using, and with a motion that was born with a lifetime of handling weapons she hefted the rifle that had been sitting next to her. She pushed her hair out of the way as she narrowed her vision down the gun’s barrel, her thumb pulling back the hammer as she continued to track her chosen target down in the valley below._

_A single shot rang out, immediately followed by the girl wordlessly stalking out of the blind rifle in hand, her Grandfather following behind her as she made her way down to the valley floor._

_As they reached their destination he saw that she had managed to catch a deer with her shot, and from the look of it the creature had been killed instantly. The blonde moved closer pulling a knife that sat on her hip she began the process she had been taught years ago of how to gut an animal in the field._

_Her gaze shifted upwards, eyes hard as they bored into her Grandfather, the blade in her hands dripping with blood, “I am in control.”_

“Fascinating isn’t it how these phrases seem to crop up around you.”

Shepard blinked rapidly as she glanced around her, eyes taking in the familiar sight of her little refuge in the void. Those same eyes though narrowed angrily as she spotted her doppelganger leaning casually against one of the walls of white stone, “How the hell are you back here!”

The other her just smirked at the comment, “You didn’t actually think you banished me? You merely,” her hand spun in a lazy circle as she seemed to search for the appropriate term, “rescinded my admin privileges for this area. But no amount of effort on your part can keep me out, believe me on that account.” A self satisfied smirk was directed towards the Spectre, “Plus you can’t tell me that you aren’t just a little bit curious.”

Evalyn debated internally as to her options, until finally with a huff she materialized a table and chairs nearby. And as she sat down she found the other ‘her’ starring at her with rapt attention, before awkwardly mimicking the motion causing Evalyn to bark out a laugh, “What? Never sat in a chair before.”

Her mirror glanced up at her, “No, the species that was, involved, in my creation had no need for furniture. And I was more focused on mining your memories for the most important data when last we interacted.”

Evalyn shook her had at the statement, it told her essentially nothing but gave her even more questions, “So what the hell are you?”

Her own laugh mocked her query, “What is it your species likes to say, that’s classified?” After several moments passed the other her attempted a motion that was likely meant to be a shrug, “Amongst my kind I am known as ‘The First.’”

“Well isn’t that ominous, alright then, Prima. What do you think we are going to accomplish with these little chats you seem to keen on having?”

Prima, as she had named her, gave a more refined shrug this time, “I am ascertaining your potential value, versus that of an already established, though problematic, asset.”

“So this is some kind of messed up interview process?” Evalyn tilted back her head as a, slightly, unhinged laugh emerged from her throat, “Why does this keep happening to me?”

Her outburst was ignored as Prima continued to speak as though she hadn’t been interrupted, “Your species has shown greater promise than most, and I have since discovered that the device left on your Homeworld had been activated. I can only assume that the resulting Catalyst must have been destroyed but to have two rise from the same species is most, unusual. Which is not even factoring in your more, unique, qualities.”

The Commander crossed her arms over her chest, “What? That I got your toys to work for me.” At the nod of acknowledgement, she sighed, “So that fact that I used your tech makes me this, Catalyst thing?”

“Incorrect.” When no elaboration came Evalyn gestured for Prima to continue, causing a sigh to emerge from the being masquerading as her, “A Catalyst has unique properties that make them valuable, and that is all I will say on the matter.”

“Then I don’t see what I stand to gain from doing this. I could be having a perfectly lovely nightmare right now.”

“Yes, no doubt about the ‘Thresher Maws’ as you call them, I can understand why they are terrifying to something as small as you but as far as biologically engineered weapons I have seen for more impressive examples.”

Shepard’s attention snapped at that, “Someone made those things.”

“Indeed, their creators were engaged in a long term conflict with another species that resided inside a large asteroid belt in the system they shared. As such they fabricated a creature that could both survive in a vacuum, and be capable of burrowing through a variety of materials.”

Crimson eyes blinked at the digital entity, “How long ago was this, and how the hell do you know all this?”

“I have existed for eons, and watched species beyond counting rise to the stars.”

Evalyn’s mind raced, she knew that this thing was old but this was not what she was expecting, “So you know what happened to the Protheans, then you must know what these Reapers are that Saren is trying to bring back!”

Prima stood up from the table and made her way to the edge of the human’s stone sanctuary, “I do, but until your current mission is complete I will give you no information regarding them. I am, hedging my bets as it were.” She twisted her head back to regard Evalyn directly, shooting her a smirk, “Until our next, chat.”

And suddenly it was gone, while Evalyn was left with even more questions and the early stages of a migraine.

S&S

Liara had been shooting worried glances at the Spectre ever since she had awoken. Though Evalyn was unsure if it was because she had apparently slept the entire night without screaming, or simply due to how distracted she was as she tried to rip apart and analyze the conversation that had taken place during that time.

Shepard glanced up from her current task of pulling on her armor and into Liara’s worried gaze, “I’m fine, Li. I just have a lot on my mind, and if you keep worrying yourself half to death you’ll hit your Matron stage early.”

Liara shook her head in annoyance, “That isn’t how it works, Evalyn, as you well know. And the fact that you are gearing up to assault a small colony when we are to land on a friendly station isn’t helping my mood.”

Evalyn’s lips quirked into a smirk, “Do you know how many times I’ve been shot at in ‘friendly’ territory?” A groan emerged from the human as Liara visibly tensed from her statement, resulting in the Commander attempting to calm her, “Li, it was a joke.”

A hiss emerged from the Asari, “It wasn’t funny!”

“No, I suppose it wasn’t.” She stood up as she began the process to engage her chest plate, the armor’s lights flickering to their crimson life as the armor powered up, “Regardless of the lack of humor involved in my statement, I don’t intend on being stupid, even if it is an SA station.” She rapped her artificial knuckle on the armor’s front, “Plus I want to show off the new color scheme.”

“It’s black.”

The blonde huffed, “It’s a classic.”

The Asari shook her head as she stepped closer, her hand pressed against where the armor had been repaired, in the same place that Evalyn herself had been forced to be repaired, “I just worry about,” Liara’s voice hitched as her eyes glistened with liquid, “I nearly lost you, Evalyn!”

The human’s natural hand reached up and entangled itself in her partner’s, “But you didn’t.” Her other hand snaked up to the back of Liara’s neck pulling the two of them closer so that their foreheads were pressing together, “But one day I will be gone, Li. Either naturally, or more likely not, so I need you to stop dwelling on it, because I can’t change what I am.”

She pulled her hand free of Liara’s as she reached up to brush the tears that threatened to fall away, followed by a chaste kiss she placed on the other’s lips before she pulled back, “Will you be okay with staying on the station while I handle Blake’s mess?”

That Asari rolled her eyes at the statement, even though they both knew that the human was trying to distract her from the admission of her own fragility, “I have more than enough work to fill my hours, plus there should be someone to stay behind to make sure Wrex doesn’t break one of your recruits in two.”

Evalyn’s laugh filled the room, “That would probably be a situation best avoided, yes.”

S&S

The mess was empty save for the two biotics in it, Kaidan for his part was sifting through numerous reports he was late in preparing given all the insanity that had followed Eden Prime. While Jack had pulled two chairs into the corner, her legs perched on top of one of them so that she was comfortable.

“Fuck!”

Kaidan’s eyes didn’t even glance up at the obscenity, this being the fifth one in the past twenty minutes that had emerged from the bald woman in the corner who was, surprisingly, working diligently away at filling out the forms the Alliance had given her.

The Lieutenant sighed as his omni pinged with the latest report he had been forwarded, both Pressley and Addison were off the ship which meant he was nominally in charge of the retrofits until one of them relieved him.

Which meant reports.

A lot of them, on top of the work he was already behind on.

And to sum them all up in a nutshell, they were not going well. The teams had already run into six different flaws with how the plating connected to the ship, having in several locations been forced to anchor it directly to the superstructure. Not only that, but the secondary team that was working on, something, in the Commander’s quarters were putting in a lot of advanced gear, and he had a very good guess as to what it was.

Tali was going to have a fit.

Kaidan for his part just had to trust that the Commander had a plan for the A.I, or at least one that wasn’t solely based on some weird form of personal attachment.

“Fuck!!”

Brown eyes tracked up to make sure that the bulkheads were still intact, but his gaze was caught by the increasingly frustrated woman, whose lips quirked into an almost seductive smile, “Wanna fuck?”

Scratch that, it was seductive.

Kaidan’s mind stalled for several moments before it managed to reboot, “What?”

The smaller woman just smirked at him, though the LT idly wondered if her lips were always that plump or if it had just been that long since he had last been the target of an attractive woman, “Come on, I’ve seen the looks, and I could use the stress relief.”

Before a response could leave his lips she had hopped off of her seat and closed the distance between them, closing in enough that a spark jumped as their personal electric fields interacted with one another, “It’s just sex, Boyscout.”

 Kaidan though managed to pull back, though he nearly topped the chair over in doing so, “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Jack.”

Anger flashed, “What? You too good for a quickie, or am I just not good enough!”

Kaidan foreseeing a high potential of getting struck in the face had abandoned the chair for a standing position, and he would be lying if he didn’t wish he had read those files on Jack at this moment, “Neither, Jack.”

“And what the fuck does that mean?!”

“That I want more from you than just some quick roll in the hay.”

The smaller human was silent for several moments before with a snarl her first slammed into his jaw, and given the fact that Kaidan could feel something break he was pretty sure that she had put some biotic force behind it.

“You stay the fuck away from me, boyscout.” The standing biotic snarled at the prone Lieutenant, stalking over to where her stuff was still sitting before retreating into the med-bay and into her sanctuary.

He let out a groan as he found himself being helped to his feet by Chakwas who had watched the affair from the med-bay, “You certainly know how to talk to a woman, Lieutenant.” When he was unable to respond without groaning in pain the matronly woman just gave a slight chuckle, “Well let’s get you seen to quickly then, I’d hate to have Jack come across you in the med-bay.”  

S&S

The Illusive Man stared out at the vista before him, Kelly had always assumed he saw the star as some kind of metaphor for his shadow war against the Council, that despite how ancient something was everything has an ending.

But one such ending had shaken him, Hannah Shepard’s death, despite the manner in which they had parted ways years ago, had turned the man introspective. And it left much of the organization listless given how tight-fisted the man came to controlling the individual cells.

The reflection of the man’s eyes shifted in the reinforced material, “Yes, Miss Chambers, what is it?”

“You asked me to inform you about any activity in regards to either Saren, or Shepard.”

Ice clinked as he took a drink from his glass, an unusual sound as the man normally took his liquor neat which only put Kelly further on edge.

_A glass filled with lemonade on a summer hot summer day, ice clinking against the edge as the sound of her cousins laughing in the distance._

Kelly shook her head as she tried to banish the intrusive memory, forcing her attention back to the seated individual.

“If you are going for the dramatic approach, Kelly, I would prefer you to just get to the point.” Kelly latched on to the request, an anchor that prevented her from slipping away from the here and now, “Of course, Shepard was the first to act, having already contacted EXOGeni through official channels. While, Saren on the other hand has just begun mining their network, likely using the Geth given the speed of the hacks involved, they appear to be focusing their efforts on anything involving shipments moving through the Traverse region.”

A tired sigh emerged from the man in the chair, “I suppose it was too much to hope for our efforts on Feros to remain hidden forever. It is a pity that our spy never managed to upload the research that Miranda had done on the thralls.” A brief flicker of light illuminated the area around the man as he struck a match to life, “How long do we estimate it will take Saren to find what he is looking for?”

Kelly glanced down at the datapad in the grasp, “The counter-intelligence division estimates that we have a week on the outside, as little as four days in the worst case scenario. There is of course always the chance that they happen to stumble upon it once they begin to decrypt the data, but there is a huge amount of data to sift through.”

Smoke began to lazily drift in the air, causing the redhead to grimace.

_Alarms fill the air, flame dances around her as smoke dominates the air above her prone body. Arms slowly drag her body, still unresponsive from the treatments, towards the light ahead, towards what she prays is freedom. A nearby door slams open, a figure in bone white armor begins to scan the hallways, it quickly spots her and she can only scream as it picks her up and takes her through the still open doorway._

“Miss Chambers?” As her attention was hauled back to the present the woman recovered smoothly, “I’m sorry, Sir, I drifted off. What was it that you were saying?”

The man shifted in the chair as his gaze fell squarely on her, the implants that most found intimidating Kelly found simply irritating, they made him extremely hard to read, “You’ve stopped taking your medication again.” It was a statement, not a question, and one that Kelly didn’t deny by responding.

“Why?”

The woman fidgeted with the ring on her finger, “It makes my mind too hazy, Sir. You need me at my best, I know I’m not Miranda but I can’t come close to filling her shoes if my faculties are dulled.”

A long exhale added more smoke to the room as the man considered her answer, “I also need you here, Kelly, not trapped inside your own head.” A flick of the man’s wrist deposited the ashes that had accumulated on the tip into a panel on the chair’s arm that quickly closed, “It is your choice of course. Regardless of your decision, I need you to take a trip out to Pinnacle.”

Kelly’s eyes blinked several times in surprise, “Won’t that put me in dangerously close to Shepard.”

Ice on glass filled the room again, but this time Kelly was ready for it, “Yes, because you are going to meet with her. EXOGeni would prefer to wipe the whole colony and possibly doom the Galaxy than to have a sanction levied against them by the Council. So I need you to bring the data directly to her, as soon as you possibly can.”

He made a vaguely dismissive motion, “And send 32 the ready signal, she and her team is going to have to move in fast if they are to get the sample from the Thorian before Saren arrives.”

S&S

Shepard slowly made her way through the airlock, idly tapping her fingers against her hip as the hatch continued to cycle.

Unlike most Alliance facilities the Pinnacle was designed to be accommodating to other species, as its training facilities were often used by the militaries of several other citadel species. Which unfortunately meant that the odds for Saren having agents on the station were quite high, a fact she hadn’t brought up with Liara for obvious reasons.

As the hatchway finally opened she spotted the welcoming committee, personified in the approaching form of Admiral Ahern, flanked on either side by a pair of armed Alliance personnel.

Ahern himself was an oddity in the SA, as he was the only serving Admiral who had been among the upper echelons of the Colonial military, his continued presence in a military, that even years later, was deeply suspicious of former colonial officers was a testament to his record from the FCW.

It also meant that there had been a great deal of distrust between the man and her Father, and as she gauged the way the man was holding himself it appeared that she had likely inherited that particular grudge.  

“Admiral, thank you for allowing my men to train on your station.”

A scoff emerged from the older human, “Let’s not pretend that I had a choice in this matter, Commander. You have until that ridiculous ship of yours is repaired and then you and your groupies are off my damn station, so I’d advise you to not waste time jawing at me.”

He quickly began to stalk away before one of his guards leaned him, murmuring something to the Admiral in a hushed tone causing the Admiral to halt, “And get that damn Asari out of my assembly area! I don’t care if the bitch is a Spectre.”

As the Admiral’s form began to recede into the station Evalyn registered that Liara had brought a palm to her face, muttering something to the Goddess, but that was a secondary concern over the fact that the Asari in question was most likely Tela. And the Asari Spectre had never been the most rational of beings, so she likely wasn’t here to find a shoulder to cry on.

The Commander turned toward those she had brought off the ship with her, “Wrex you go and meet with our hired help, Garrus I want you to meet up with the N6’s and start evaluating them, I am going to handle this Spectre matter personally.”

Liara just shot the human an exasperated look, “Try not to shatter the station in two.” Which only elicited a smirk and a quip from the blonde, “No promises.”

Reilly who had also been ordered off the ship to pick up supplies needed for assaults on the pirate strongholds was unsure of what he was supposed to be doing, shooting a questioning glance at the Asari he inquired, “So, should we be going with her?”

Liara just shook her head, “The last time those two had a disagreement they took half an industrial block on Illium, so no I’d advise that you stay out of it.”

Shepard for her part had continued on ahead, making her way steadily to her destination but at a pace that ensured her armor’s pre-battle systems check would be complete. Finally satisfied that everything was in order she pulled on her helmet as she slipped into the location in question.

She entered the assembly area via a catwalk, giving her a bird’s eye view of the entire room, which was an almost bare metal box with the only exceptions to that was the viewing platforms built into the walls at even intervals.

She quickly spotted Tela as the Asari was pacing around the middle of the room, her patrol made sure that she only ever had a single entrance outside of her view at a time. But she either wasn’t aware, or didn’t care about the catwalk above, which spoke greatly to Evalyn in regards to her friend’s state of mind.

The human gripped the railing as she jumped off the catwalk, her armor taking the fall easily but the noise of her landing caused the Asari to spin towards the source of the noise.

Tela’s eyes were filled with rage, and if that wasn’t a strong enough indication the flickers of blue lighting crisscrossing her body as her biotic field, supercharged by the sheer intensity of the Spectre’s emotions, reacted with the atmosphere around her.

Evalyn calmly raised her hands in what she hoped was a placating gesture, “Tela, we can talk this through.”

Vasir’s response was a swift, but powerful, biotic strike that sent the human skidding backwards, metal screeching as her armor attempted to automatically lock down on to the floor. The result was she was still on her feet, but she was so off balance that she was unable to dodge the second strike that slammed her solidly against the wall behind her.

As she shook her head to clear the slight fog from the strike her hands slipped down and pulled her pistols off her hips, tossing them to either side before pushing herself to her feet, “You want to do this, Tela, disarm.”

The Asari gave her an uncaring shrug but complied to the human’s demand, and with that stipulation out of the way the pair slowly began to circle one another. The blonde’s eyes shot a glance at the Asari’s weapons sitting in a pile, “You better not have a knife on you.”

The other Spectre simply snarled at her, “I don’t need a fucking knife.”

And with that she blinked out of existence, only to reappear in an explosion of bitoic force directly in front of the human. Vasir’s biotically wreathed fist slammed into Evalyn’s torso, causing her to give ground as status indicators on her HUD warned her of the sheer level of damage done by the attack to the internal components, reminding her that the armor was still mostly a patch job following the Geth’s attack.

A growl of anger erupted from her lips as Shepard lashed out in turn sending Tela tumbling away from the sheer force of the crimson tinged energy at the human’s command.

Vasir recovered swiftly, but there was surprise on her features, “Well that was new.”

Evalyn relaxed slightly hoping that her friend would calm donw, but soon realized the mistake she made when the Asari charged again. They engaged in close quarters, the human taking three hits for every one blow she landed, but thanks to her heavier armor and her enhanced strength both Spectres came to the conclusion that the blonde was going to outlast the Asari through sheer endurance.

Thinking that she had grabbed the advantage the Commander lashed out with a vicious left hoping to finish off her opponent, only to realize she had been suckered in as Tela flashed away in a blink of blue energy. The Asari immediately took advantage of the now off balance human, lashing out with an empowered kick straight to the weaker armor that covered the side of Shepard’s torso.

The blonde stumbled backwards, as one arm instinctually went to protect the likely shattered ribs of her left side. Vasir let a victorious smirk cross her lips as she moved in to finish the fight with a second devastating blow, only to overextend herself and find her throat caught in the grip of the human’s artificial limb. A scream of effort and pain emerged from the Commander as she lifted the Asari skywards, only to them slam her downwards into the plating which buckled from the sheer force involved in the impact.

The human’s grip remained on the Asari’s throat, “Tela, it’s over.”

The Spectre’s reply was an almost manic grin as with a blur of motion a knife materialized in her hand, which quickly buried itself into the human’s helmet cutting into the skin over her left brow.

Vasir tumbled to the ground as Shepard reeled back reacting to the sudden blossom of pain. The Asari disengaged swiftly from the wounded blonde, her taunting voice filled with a smug satisfaction, “Guess I did have a knife.”

A growl more animal than human emerged from the Commander as she ripped the knife out of both helmet and flesh, followed by the helmet which she tossed in the opposite direction just in time for her to see Tela charge at her again.

Evalyn though stood her ground instead of attempting to dodge the incoming strike, rather she locked her armor down while at the same time engulfing her right arm in her shield. She allowed herself a moment to savor the shock in Tela’s eyes as the human weathered the initial impact, only to follow that up with a brutal bash to the alien who collapsed to the ground, the Asari’s momentum causing her to skid away from the still standing Spectre.

The blonde stalked over to her alien counterpart, irritably wiping the blood that was flowing down from the gash above her artificial eye, her voice little more than a growl, “And stay down!”

She strode past Vasir, who even now was still struggling to stand, and began to make her way to collect her gear. But as her eyes drifted towards her opponent’s pile she realized that there was an object missing.

Her reaction was more instinct than skill, as she spun and raised her forearm, the accelerator round pierced through her armored forearm only coming to a stop inside of her artificial limb.

Rage flared within her heart as the world seemed to turn red, though she wasn’t sure if that was simply her biotic field going haywire, the blood dripping into her eye, or just her rage seeping through her own perception of the world. Whatever the case she closed the gap between them before Tela could prepare a second shot, her left hand flung the offending pistol away while her right once again snaked forward to catch the Asari in its grasp.

This time however she carried the Asari across the room until the she had slammed the alien into the chamber’s wall, a dull thud echoing throughout the room. Her left hand in the meanwhile twitched and spasmed as she willed her biotic potential into a sphere of similar construction to that which she had used before on Luna, though she didn’t recall it hurting this much last time, or maybe she just hadn’t noticed.

As she brought the sphere dangerously close to Tela’s face the Asari managed to give her a pained grin, “Now you wouldn’t want to do anything to hurt Nihla would you?”

Despite the brutality that the two had just engaged in the blonde failed at suppressing the small smile that tugged on her lips, “You did just try and shoot me.”

Which only earned a wider grin from the other Spectre, “Only a little.”

It was at this point that Shepard’s ribs reminded her that not only were they likely shattered, but that she was also supporting the weight of the Asari plus armor upon those same ribs, and so with a groan of pain both Spectres went tumbling to the ground.

Pain filled laughter escaped from both individuals’ lips as soon as they both hit the ground, finally Evalyn managed to get words out after nearly a minute of the pair giggling like morons, “Nihla? He would have hated that name.”

“He died, that means he lost his vote.”

Crimson eyes flickered toward blue ones, “I’m sorry.”

Vasir closed her eyes for several moments, before a long sigh escaped her lips, “I know.”  

S&S

Meanwhile in another section of the station Garrus was familiarizing himself with the controls that ran the combat sims, he had spoken briefly with the candidates who were waiting down below but he had sensed that they cared little for the fact they were being given orders by a Turian.

Heavy steps behind him signalled the arrival of the Krogan, likely in tow with the unknown individual that Shepard had apparently contacted.

“Goddamn high tech crap, back in my day we just got shot at until we learned how to duck.”

Wrex gave a dark chuckle in response to the statement, “Love to see how this lot would handle being dropped on Tchunka, find out how much sand they’ve got then.”

“You could drop a fucking armored division on that bitch of a planet and never find a goddamn plate after.”

Garrus just shook his head as he finalized the tweaks he was doing to the program, activating it he turned around to give the room’s other occupants his full attention, content with the knowledge that the human’s in the chamber would be busy for a while.

He recognized Massani from numerous incident reports that he generated every time he visited the Citadel, though he had the good sense to never get into a situation that was actually deserving of a prison sentence.

Wrex just stomped past him and looked out into the room below, “Alright, here’s the plan, you shut this thing off and the three of us go down there and have some fun.”

Zaeed gave a chuckle of agreement as he picked up one of the weapons designed for the simulator, “Come on, Spike, only way these uppity little shits are going to give you respect is if you beat them half to death.”

Garrus sighed, “You know that there are inhibitors on the simulator.”

“So shut them the fuck off.”

Garrus went to argue it but caught the shake of Wrex’s head, “You willing to trust someone who doesn’t know what it’s like to be shot, not all of these humans are veterans in case you weren’t aware.”

That he had to admit wasn’t a fact he had been privy too, and so with a sigh he tapped in a new set of protocols, they wouldn’t be firing live rounds but the chamber would sure make it feel like they were. “Alright, I’ve set it up to change modes once the three of us are inside the combat zone.”

Wrex grinned as he made his way to the hatch, his eyes focusing on the human in the battlesuit, “The big one’s mine”

As soon as the door shut the digital enemies that the candidates had been fighting flickered away, but there was no time for them to recover as Wrex let out a bellow and charged directly into his target.

Zaeed for his part had just pulled a grenade from his belt, it was a concussion charge but given that he tossed it at the feet of someone standing in the open it mattered little as they crumpled to the ground from the sheer force of the charge, “It’s called cover you goddamn idiot!”  

The others had realized what was going on and one particularly intelligent individual tried to close in on the Turian, holding a sword. With a roll of his eyes the Turian pulled the pistol from his side and fired into both of the man’s kneecaps, causing him to slam headfirst into the ground. The Turian only shook his head as he walked past, kicking the sword into the corner as he did so, “I’m not really sure what your plan was there.”

He pulled the rifle from his back as he analyzed the battlefield, Wrex was actually getting his ass handed to him as he hadn’t factored in the shoulder mounted rocket launcher the suit was equipped with, but a precise shot from the Turian disabled the weapon quickly turning the tables. He panned further only to see Massani slam the butt of his rifle to a female who wasn’t wearing a helmet, while a twitch of the Turian’s finger took out the individual attempting to sneak up on the human merc.

The last man standing, as much as he could be called that, was huddled in the corner and only cringed further at the sight of the trio that approached with their weapons drawn. Wrex pointed his gun down at the man’s kneecap, and as he fired the man passed out from the feedback, whimpering as he did so.

The three of them glanced at each other, before finally a sigh emerged from the Krogan, “Well, looks like we’ve got work to do.”

S&S

Harrison Shepard did a sweep of his office as he pulled opened the panel hidden behind his desk, he had wanted to check the files hidden in there the moment he had seen Eva but caution had made him wait until he was certain she was off the station.

He cursed as he messed up the combination, his own anger was making him sloppy, but the idea that his Granddaughter, his own flesh and blood could potentially be a threat to humanity filled him with rage. But it didn’t make him forget his duty.

Finally, the secured hatch opened, and he gently removed the physical files that lay stored inside. The only copies that still existed to his knowledge, the SA having erased or destroyed all copies as soon as First Contact had turned peaceful.

He dropped the first folder face first on to the table, the blocky types writing staring up at him.

**OPERATION: STEEL TERROR**

He flipped open the folder, hastily moving to catch the loose letter that made an effort to escape, he found himself unable to resist reading the familiar script;

_I wish that there was another way, but we have no choice. Colonel Okuda and I both agree that there is no scenario that results in victory that does not involve the utter destruction of the city. If it weren’t such a horrible idea to fathom we would both probably admit that the populace is likely all dead, but it is honestly easier on my own mind to pretend otherwise._

_Regardless, tomorrow Major Renier will move in with his men utilizing what spare exo-suits we have. They have all been fitted with portable nukes, and the men themselves will be escorting sappers who will be setting up higher yield devices in strategic points throughout the city._

_Best case scenario, we flash fly the bitch. Worst case, at least the EMP should take out whatever booster she is using to hack into those poor people._

_I just heard over the wire that some debutante who had upgraded herself with the latest in cybernetics went nuts at some high society function, it took fourteen officers to take her down but not before she took out people totalling more than a fifth of the world’s wealth._

_Okuda and myself will be moving to the FOB in the morning, if the strike is ineffective, or if the target somehow escapes we will be moving in. We have a single EMP hardened heli-jet available, so the two of us plus whatever men we deem necessary will be waiting as a response unit._

_I pray to God this works._

_Colonel Andrew Shepard_

Harrison moved his Father’s letter back into its proper place before pulling out the photo that he had opened the file to look at.

The photo was of a woman, blue lines traced her skin, and her eyes blazed like some technological demon. His free hand popped as it clenched tightly together, there was no denying that the implant from the picture was identical to what Evalyn was now sporting.

He angrily slammed the photo to the desk as he yanked open the bottom drawer of his desk, pulling the bottle contained within out into the light of day. He yanked out the cork and took a long draught of the liquor before he let out a long sigh.

He never thought he would be put in a position where his oath to protect humanity, and his duty to protect his own Grandchild would come into conflict.

That wasn’t to say he wouldn’t hope for the best, but it also didn’t mean that he wouldn’t make plans for the worst case scenario.

He was after all, a Shepard.

For all the fucking good it was worth.

S&S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit Song: Unstable by Chaotica
> 
> Going to be upfront with you, I was entertaining having Thane as the hired help but Zaeed just makes so much more sense. Plus, you can never have enough immolation.  
> X-Com 2 is also how I am officially naming all human character from now on, at least in one universe they didn’t die horrible deaths, until I kill them again (Sorry guys).  
> I’d also like to thank everyone who have bothered to hit those buttons, I know I don’t update as often as I should, so I appreciate it a lot.

**Author's Note:**

> For those who are unaware, read anyone who hasn't read the original S&S, Evalyn is younger than the canon Shepard, as a result she and Ashley are indeed the same age, and so they went through boot camp at the same time. Ashley's promotion to Chief is kind of a direct result of her friendship with Evalyn, as the Shepard's have been serving since the founding of the SA. More on that when you meet Shepard's Granddad, Harrison 'I punch everything' Shepard.
> 
> In my original draft Shepard's identity wasn't revealed until the very end of the chapter when she was knocked unconscious, but I really wanted to showcase that the Geth can do some damage when they have more than just basic troopers. 
> 
> I hope that this chapter wasn't too boring, given that it is pretty much a blow by blow redo of the Eden Prime mission, but well you have to start somewhere.


End file.
